Rememberance and Reconciliation
by lucymalta
Summary: Ever wonder what happened to H and Mich in between 'A New Beginning' and 'Serve and Protect? Chapter 9 up.... Does Mich finally catch up with the Lynx? What is Horatio going through? Will the CIA finally get their hands on the Wolf?
1. Problems

Horatio stalked into his office and closed the door behind him, the only reason he didn't slam it was because it was made of glass and he didn't want it to shatter all over the place. Eric looked up from his bench where he was comparing fingerprints and then glanced over to trace, where he saw Calleigh and Ryan looking concerned. They too had seen H's entrance that morning.

Going to the staffroom, Eric picked up his mug and filled it with coffee, Calleigh and Ryan soon joining him. "So Eric, Kate say anything to you?" Calleigh's soft question made him turn with a shake of his head.

He sighed, "Seems that H and Mich are going through a rough patch again and judging by his mood this morning, this time the argument was a bad one…"

Ryan was a little mystified, he didn't know Mich that well, though he did know she was very independent and self reliant. He asked if that was the problem.

Calleigh shrugged her shoulders, "It could be part of it, we all know how protective H gets of his family and friends and Mich can't help pushing it down his throat that she is quite capable of looking after herself."

Eric nodded, "The only thing they can seem to agree about these days is Amber…"

&&&

Horatio pushed the file to one side after signing the report, as usual his team had done a thorough job and the case was tight. There were a couple of areas which could be tricky in court, but he was confident that they would get through it well.

Pulling the next file from his pile he sighed as his eye caught the photograph. Taken the previous Christmas the smiles on his and Mich's faces hid the tension underneath. Picking it up, he opened the drawer and put it inside, he couldn't take it anymore, why did she have to be so damn stubborn.

After winning the state championship for the first time the previous year, several people had come forward asking for training – either for their horses or for themselves. Mich knew that many only came because she had won and knew that the following year they would leave, but she still accepted them.

Part of him knew that it was business and that the equestrian industry was very volatile as he had learnt over the last two years. However that did not help him when he suggested to Mich that she should get extra help in the barn.

She would be up nearly every day at five to check out the horses and give them their morning feed before coming back inside to do breakfast. He and Kyra would leave soon after – him to work, Kyra to school on the bus, leaving Mich to spend a couple of hours with Amber before the Nanny came.

That had been his first battle… While Amber had been a baby, Mich would put her in her pram and take her to the barn, and put her in the office which was clean and quiet so Mich could keep an eye on her. With Nicky and Kate around, there was always someone watching over her and H, though uncomfortable with the idea, had accepted that it was ok.

However, when Amber had become mobile, he had suggested that they get someone to help. Mich had rejected the idea instantly, though H knew from Nicky and Kate that she was finding it difficult to juggle daughter and job. In the end, after several weeks of arguments, he had gone behind Mich's back and got a part-time help to look after Amber.

Mich had flipped, but said nothing when Horatio had firmly told her that the help was here to stay. He had refused to budge on the matter and she had given in. From that day, whenever they had discussed Amber's welfare, or her future, Mich had never argued with him. In fact, these days, Amber was the only thing they didn't argue about…

That was part of the reason why he had gone to check his condo out a few days before… The summer tenants had left and the place was clean, it wouldn't take him long to move his stuff back in. The night before he had been home late and Mich had been angry about it… again.

He had pointed out that it was his job and the discussion had gone steeply down hill from there. H had slept in the guest room that night and woken up early, Mich had stared when she came back from the barn, seeing him putting his things in his car.

"What are you doing…?"

"Moving back into my own place. You need space Mich and I cannot be your whipping boy any more. I'll pass by when I can to see Amber, but I am not going to live like this…"

Mich's face turned pale, "Horatio, please… Can we talk about this?"

H looked her in the eye, "I've tried… You've never been interested. Run your life Mich. Do what you have to do, but I can no longer be part of that."

Getting into his car he had noticed the tears running down her face and realized how hurt she must be – Mich never cried… For a moment, he wanted to go out and hold her tightly, she still held that power over him, he still loved her, but he couldn't go on like this.

As he turned onto the main road, he saw her in his rear view mirror, crumpling into a ball. Gritting his teeth, he kept on going.

&&&

Kate was worried. She had never seen Mich like this. It was so much worse than when she and H had broken up before Amber was born – but then Mich had broken things off, trying to protect him from what was going to happen when her true work as an MI5 assassin was revealed. This time Horatio was the one that had walked away – and Mich would not talk about it.

She had continued her teaching and training, but Kate could see the strain she was under; the smiles and laughter around the stable were slowly disappearing. Mich was disciplined around the barn, but liked to have fun just as much as everyone else… However, everyone was picking up on her sombre mood and staying quiet.

The only thing that could bring a smile to her face was the girls, Kyra and Amber. Kyra, knowing her mum's moods was careful, but it actually helped Mich – making her more attentive to her eldest. Amber, still innocent, did not notice and could bring a hug and a chuckle from Mich at any time.

Kate had to acknowledge one thing though… Without Horatio around, Mich was falling apart. She had never realized how much Mich leant on H, though knew all about the arguments, she had heard them often enough. Knowing that her friend and boss needed help, Kate began thinking about what she could do, how she could help, but always came up with the same answer… Horatio…

&&&

Mich walked back to the barn to do her last check of the day. Reaching Zephyr, she gave the big grey horse a pat on the neck and sighed. Of all the horses in the barn – and people – he was the one who seemed most tuned in to her emotions.

Dropping his head, the grey placed it against her chest, blowing softly. Mich clung to the horse, tears running down her face. Zephyr was the only horse Horatio had the courage to hold on to, talk to, though Mich had never pushed him to do so with others. As her tears dried, she began to breathe more deeply and came to a decision…

"You're absolutely right Zeph… I have to speak to him, I need him. He's the only one who can help me…"

Going back inside, she went upstairs to their room. Finding it empty again. After changing, she slid into bed and pulled the pillow that Horatio had used tight to her chest, the tears came quickly as she cried herself to sleep.

&&&

H glanced at his cell as it began to move across his desk. He had switched it to silent mode when in the lab – partly so he could concentrate – partly because he didn't want anyone to know how many calls he was getting. It had been five days since he had walked away from the barn, and he hadn't slept a wink.

The cell kept ringing. He knew from the number it was Mich, but refused to answer, he couldn't talk to her. Had to make a clean break. He wanted to see the girls, but knew he had to tough it out for now, Mich had to understand.

He sighed when the call ended, Mich would not try again for a few hours. That she wanted to speak to him was obvious, but he realized she respected his work. She would call in the morning, possibly hoping to catch him before he started at the lab, then mid-morning, late afternoon and late evening.

The realization hit him hard. She was not being obsessive, but careful. She knew when his busiest times would be and didn't want to cause problems for his career. He cast his mind back, trying to identify where things had gone wrong…

Throwing his pen down he grumbled to himself and went to get a coffee, he just couldn't get her out of his mind and until he did…

&&&

Eric sighed, Kate was on her regular day off and they had managed to meet for lunch – which would normally be cut short, but today at least they could see each other. Kate had just told him about Mich's state of mind the previous day and he was concerned.

"I thought she'd be giving you hell by now, knowing what her temper is like…"

Kate shook her head, "That's just it Eric… Everyone sees her temper – but it's her emotional state that's the problem. When her temper blows it's usually for a good reason – and afterwards she's fine. I've got to know her so well now…"

Eric gave Kate a disbelieving look, but realized that his wife was telling the truth. "So why do you think she and H were arguing so much?"

Kate sighed, "I don't know, she won't talk about it – she's a very private person Eric – I don't think she can talk to anyone and she certainly wouldn't talk about H behind his back, she hates any kind of gossip in the stable."

Eric gave his wife a soft smile, "So… Use my trade. Turn CSI… You'll work it out."

**

Kate gave him an exasperated look, but he had set her mind turning over. She out of everyone knew Mich the best – including Nicky who had in the past been able to talk to Mich about anything, but was now also being shut out.

Giving Eric a beaming smile, she stood up to leave, "You know… One of the first things you do is speak to witnesses right?" Eric nodded, "So then I need to get Mich to talk…"

Eric stood next to her, trying to control his mirth – with little success, "Good luck. Mind she doesn't bite…"

Kate sighed, but then gave him a strange look, "Maybe that's it…"

Eric became curious, "What do you mean?"

Leading the way back to her car, Kate looked at him thoughtfully, "Everyone thinks Mich has this really bad temper – I know she doesn't. Ok, so she threatens a lot, but very rarely follows through because she doesn't need to, the threat is enough."

"Eric if Mich were really that bad, do you think that I would still be working for her? That Nicky would still be at the barn? She's a great boss and fantastic to work for, but I know how stressed out she gets by many of the clients, but she never, never takes it out on us."

Eric wasn't sure where this was going but pressed Kate to continue.

"She knows that Nicky and I work hard – she says so… She thanks us everyday for our help. We know that she appreciates what we do – it's why we're such a good team. But she also knows us very well. After Thomas was killed, Nicky went to pieces for a while and she became so protective of him. He's like a kid brother for her now… She won't hurt him in any way."

"She's always said you're like a sister to her…" Eric was also thinking, "The one thing Mich wants more than anything is family around her, so she's not going to hurt those people by getting on their case, she doesn't want to lose them."

Kate nodded, "because if she did, we wouldn't take it. Not because we're employees Eric, because it would hurt her to hurt us. She knows that when she's in a really bad mood we can't handle it, because of the way we react. She's so strong, we can't match her…"

"Oh I can stand my ground – and I have done, but I know in a real match up – I'd back down. Every time."

Eric shook his head, "I don't get it, she needs family so much. So why does she give H so much hell, why does she take her stress out on him? He IS her family, more than the rest of us…"

Kate sighed, "Because Eric, he's the only one that can stand up to her and win. She knows that."

Eric became frustrated, "Ok, that I can understand, but why? It's not necessary, surely she knows that – especially with H."

Kate dropped her head, "Maybe she needs the fight, needs someone strong, someone who can hold their own against her."

"But why does she need to fight all the time?" Eric paused for a moment, "Maybe that's why H left… Maybe he decided he'd had enough of fighting."

"I don't know, something in her past maybe… I really don't know."

Eric pulled Kate close realizing how upset she was becoming for her friend, she and Mich had developed a close bond over the past year, even more so after Jackie had left for Europe to do some specialist training. Kate's older sister would then head for Africa, helping the _medicines sans frontiers _group with their work, Mich was filling in the void that Kate felt after Jackie had left.

As he held her close, he felt helpless, the whole team knew how H was feeling. In the past their boss had been able to lock his feelings away, show an emotionless mask to those around him. He and Calleigh knew different now, they had been with him so long, they could see the signs. The way his shoulders tightened up when he was angry, the way the eyes would narrow and change colour…

Natalia and Ryan could just sense something was not right, but all of them were being careful when H was around… Careful not to discuss anything with him apart from case files, keeping the jokes to a minimum while they were taking a break. The lab was quiet at the best of times, but now…

"Kate, you know H isn't going to move on this…"

Kate straightened up and nodded, "I know, Mich has to make the first move if she wants him back… I think she knows that…"

"But she also needs to know that she better start talking…"

Kate sighed, "and I guess I'm the one who needs to speak to her…"

Eric gave her a smile and a kiss on the cheek, "That's my girl…" He was about to add more when his cell went off and he sighed.

Kate chuckled, "Duty calls… Go… I'll see you later."

Eric ran to the Hummer, asking for details, but did not forget to blow a kiss to his wife as he left, hoping that she would be ok. Kate slowly got in her car, trying to decide whether to go home or not. Putting the keys in the ignition, she made her choice, taking a deep breath, she headed for the barn.

&&&**

Horatio pulled up in the Hummer and stepped out cautiously. The whole area was quiet – too quiet. He had received the call that someone had spotted something suspicious about this warehouse located in a little used area of the docks of Miami's container port. However, the anonymous tip now seemed to be a set-up of some kind as no witness came forward.

As he was thinking, Eric pulled up in the other Hummer and the two of them began to approach the warehouse carefully. "I don't like it H… First we get a hot tip that people have been spotted acting suspiciously – then when we show up, the place is quieter than Alexx's morgue."

"Do we have back-up on the way?"

Eric nodded, "Frank and a couple of cars – but they're probably held up in traffic. There's been an accident near the PD."

Horatio swore quietly under his breath which surprised the younger man slightly. When H wasn't happy, you could see it in his face, but he rarely vocalized when anyone was around. He was about to say something when H drew his glock and started to move toward the building. "Let's have a little look around Eric, see if we can spring anything."

Eric became concerned; it was not like H to move without back up in a situation where he wasn't sure what was going on. As he moved to H's side, a line of bullets kicked up the dirt around them, sending the two CSI's diving for cover behind H's Hummer.

"Well H – it seems that we sprung something…"

His boss nodded grimly, the minute they had taken cover, the shooting had stopped, but he was under no illusions as to what would happen if they moved away from the Hummer. For a moment he remained silent before deciding on a course of action. "Eric – you work your way around the Hummers – move toward the warehouse from the other side, and I'll draw their fire."

Eric pulled a face, not happy with the situation at all. "Shouldn't we wait for back-up? It would help a lot more…"

H shook his head, "If we wait – we might not catch our adversary over there. Lets get moving."

Waiting until Eric had moved to his position, H cautiously peeked around the front of the Hummer – unable to see anything. Then receiving a nod from the younger man, he carefully began to move slowly forwards, aiming for the right hand side of the warehouse, while Eric did the same toward the left.

Nothing happened.

Eric began to feel wary, something wasn't right… All his senses were screaming at him – telling him that he should return to the safety of the Hummer, but H was moving out into the open. The next moment, the first of two patrol cars slid to a halt just behind him – the other heading in H's direction to provide the Lieutenant with some form of cover.

The move came too late.

More bullets sped across the open space catching H with nowhere to hide. Eric returned fire trying to make his way across to his boss, but only succeeded in drawing attention to himself. He could hear H cursing loudly and felt slightly relieved, but until H was under cover, he would not relax.

The shooting from the warehouse stopped as abruptly as it had started and Frank took over – ordering the patrol officers to spread out and be careful, before moving to H's side. Eric was already on his cell calling for fire and rescue.

Joining Frank Eric became worried; from what he could see H had been hit several times, though fortunately his boss was still conscious which was hopefully a good sign.

Frank however, was not impressed, "Now what in hell possessed you two to try and go in by yourselves? You got a death wish or something?"

Eric said nothing but glanced at H, making Frank realize that something had not quite been right about the situation. Horatio also remained quiet, obviously in pain, but trying not to show anything as Eric worked quickly to stem the blood that was flowing from a knee wound, as Frank did the same to an arm.

When the paramedic arrived, Eric was relieved to be told that H's wounds were relatively superficial, though one bullet had probably shattered the kneecap and another had embedded itself in Horatio's hip. He would be taken into surgery immediately. Helping Frank to secure the area, Eric was furious to find out that the shooter had escaped and called Calleigh for help to process the scene.

It did not help his temper when they discovered a cache of crack cocaine at the warehouse, the amount large enough to warrant attention – but not enough to be a significant bust. Horatio had been shot almost for nothing.

&&&**

Horatio tried to relax back in the ambulance, the morphine was helping to reduce the pain from the gunshot wounds, but his brain was anything but numb. Of all the crazy, stupid… He sighed a little trying to get more comfortable, but only succeeded in causing another wave of pain to pass through his body.

Why had he insisted on going in? Eric had been right, they should have waited, but he had over-ruled the younger man. Guilt passed through him for a moment – Eric could have been hurt too – yet he had decided to go in anyway. He shook his head, for the last few days he had not been able to think clearly, his mind not on his job.

As the paramedic placed the mask over his face to prepare him for the anaesthetic that he would need for surgery, an image formed in his mind. An image that he had not been able to rid himself of for several days… an image of Mich dropping to the floor, fear showing on her face. It was an image that had haunted him day and night; he had accepted that there might be tears – anger, even pain, but not fear.

Why would Mich be so terrified of him leaving? It was a question he couldn't answer. As his mind again began trying to work out the conundrum, the ambulance arrived at the hospital where he was taken straight into surgery, the anaesthetic taking him blissfully into unconsciousness.

&&&

Kate turned off the engine of her car and took a deep breath; she could see Mich working with Knight in the arena and even from this distance could see that her boss was not happy. As she stepped out and walked closer, she could see that Mich hadn't noticed her arrival, completely distracted by her thoughts.

As she walked closer, Kate was shocked to see the tears that were sliding down Mich's face, covering the last few metres to the gate into the arena quickly, she stepped inside the sand floored school. Walking over to where Mich was trying to get Knight to perform a rein back with little success, Kate spoke quietly.

"Mich, what's wrong?"

Mich jumped, surprised that Kate had managed to moved so quietly, "Oh, nothing you need to worry about… Just something I have to do."

Kate frowned and caught hold of Knight's rein to stop Mich from continuing her training. "Mich please, I know something's wrong. Maybe I can help."

Mich dropped her head her voice barely above a whisper, "I can't… Please Kate, don't push me on this, it's something I have to fix. There's only one person I can talk to…"

Kate swallowed and stood her ground before speaking softly, "No Mich. This is what friends are for – to help each other, I know you've always worked alone and how difficult it is for you to accept help, but…"

A shout from Nicky cut her short telling Mich she was wanted on the phone. Kate sighed and joined him in the stable holding Knight just outside the office door. The next moment she threw the reins to Nicky as Mich sank to the floor, head in her hands, tears flowing down her cheeks though no noise came.

Wrapping her arms around Mich to give comfort, Kate asked what had happened as Mich dropped the phone on the floor.

Mich clung to her best friend for a moment, saying nothing. Then with a shudder she spoke quietly, "Horatio… He's been shot. They wouldn't give me the details except to say he's in surgery."

Kate and Nicky traded looks and acted immediately, Nicky returning Knight to his box, Kate taking Mich inside the house. "Get changed Mich, I'll drive you in."

Mich nodded and started to move to the stairs before pausing, "What about the girls?"

Kate gave her a gentle nudge, "They can stay with me and Eric, now go, I'll get you to the hospital before Horatio comes round."

&&

Horatio stirred. His mouth felt terrible, as if something had crawled inside and died there. Trying to stretch a little he noticed that one arm had been immobilized and saw that a small I.V. had been set up, probably painkillers he thought to himself.

He tried to move slightly again, but found his legs would not respond. For a moment he panicked, _did a bullet hit my spine?_ The panic abated when he realized that the lack of movement was not caused by anything physiological, but rather a weight resting on the lower half of his body.

He blinked his eyes open further, his shoulders dropping when he saw the long dark blonde hair spilling over his waist, one arm across his thigh, the other hand underneath her face, resting gently on the side of his uninjured hip.

He swore quietly to himself, Mich was the last person he wanted to see right now, but another part of him was relieved that she was there. He glanced up as the door to his room opened quietly and a nurse stepped in, giving a soft smile when she saw he was awake.

"Welcome back Lieutenant, you gave us a little scare you know. Miss Bailey insisted on staying with you even though we told her that it would be a while before you would wake up." She passed him a small cup of water which barely held a mouthful of liquid, but at least it took the dryness away.

"How long?"

The nurse sighed, "Surgery took four hours to get the bullet fragments out of your hip and knee, fortunately the arm was a through and through. Then another two hours to try and fix your knee and tidy up a couple of grazes. The doc will give you the details in the morning; I suggest you get some more sleep."

Refusing to pass on any more information she turned and walked out of the door. Glancing down at the sleeping form resting against him, Horatio's face softened slightly. He could see how pale Mich was and how gaunt she seemed, spotted the tracks on her face that the tears had made.

Allowing his head to drop back onto the pillow he sighed, he was relieved that she was here and could feel the strength of the bond that had built up between them. He cursed slightly, angry with himself when he realized he could not walk away from their relationship, he needed her in his life too much for that. Pulling a face he decided in that moment that things would have to change if Mich wanted him to return to the barn.

&&**

Mich slowly lifted her head, slightly disoriented for a moment until she remembered where she was. From the items around her and the position in which Horatio was lying, she guessed he had woken at least once during the night.

Tears came to her eyes as she noticed how pale he still looked, before she fought to regain control of herself. The last thing Horatio would need was her crying and begging him to return home, she needed to remain calm, to tell him why she needed him there, needed him to keep away the nightmares.

Quietly she stood up and walked to the window, staring out across the streets below. While Horatio had still been under the anaesthetic, Kate had brought the girls to say a quick hi, before taking them to the condo that she and Eric owned. Amber had been quiet, only understanding that her father had been hurt but would be ok soon.

Kyra however, had cried for almost ten minutes before Mich had been able to calm her down, making her mother promise that she would make sure Horatio came home. Mich had known that her eldest had become attached to him, but until that point had not realized how deeply the twelve year olds feelings ran. It made her more determined to try and work things out, the only problem was – would Horatio accept?

A slight sound made her turn and she swallowed as she saw that Horatio was awake and watching her, his face impassive. Slowly she walked back to the bed trying to work out how she could open the conversation. She shied away from the obvious 'How are you feeling', knowing that he would see the falseness behind the statement, knowing that there was something else on her mind.

Horatio stole the moment for her. "Why are you here Mich?"

Anger flared, before she bit back a snide comment and answered carefully, "I needed to be sure you were ok."

Horatio's eyes narrowed, he had seen the anger flare in her eyes for a brief moment, knew that she had thought about her answer, chosen to answer him with calmness instead of anger. Something was going on. He challenged her again to confirm his thoughts.

"Well as you can see, I'm going to recover – I don't know how long it will take, but I'll be back at work soon. It was good of you to drop by, but I think you need to get back to your business."

Mich bit her lip, Horatio's coldness wounded her deeply, but in a way she wasn't surprised by it – he had after all walked away from the barn. "The Barn can look after itself for a couple of days, Nicky and Kate are fully capable. The doc said you might need some help after you leave hospital and…"

Horatio cut her off, "That won't be necessary Mich, I'll be at home – I'm sure the team will drop by to see if I need anything."

His answer made Mich turn white, fear showing clearly across her face, before she turned to hide her face from him. Her words, spoken so quietly he barely heard them, sent a chill down his spine when he heard the desperation in her voice.

"Please Horatio, come back to the barn. You're the only person in Miami that can stop me doing something crazy… The only person who can help me."

Horatio was about to decline, when he saw the look on her face reflected in the window. She wasn't begging him, nor threatening him with any kind of insane behaviour in any way. However, the terror on her face when she realized he might refuse was enough to make him recognize that there was more to her request than a simple return to their relationship.

He sighed, "Mich, I cannot come back if things stay as they were, I can't take it anymore."

Finally a tear escaped from the corner of Mich's eye, "I understand, I know I've been a bitch Horatio, but I can't help it. I've sent you to hell and back, and I really don't deserve your help, but without you around…"

Mich paused for a moment and Horatio could see her fighting to keep her emotions under control. This was not a woman who was becoming hysterically obsessed and would make his life a misery if he didn't return to the barn. He knew then that Mich's fear was very strong, very deep and very, very real, but before he made a decision, he needed to know what was going on.

"I'm listening."

&&

Mich took a deep breath, she had always told Horatio that she would never be able to tell him things about her past and he understood and respected that. He realized that much of it would be classified, relating to operations that she had been on, the rest would have been as a result of Mich's training – in case she had been caught, she would say nothing.

Horatio remained silent, sensing the battle that was going on inside her. Her conditioning would forbid her from talking about any aspect of her work as an MI5 agent, but her need for survival and – he hoped – the trust she had in him was trying to break that.

"I wasn't always an MI5 assassin. My initial brief was in intelligence – working undercover, collecting information. After a few 'soft' targets – including the case that later involved Robert, myself and another agent that I had trained with were sent overseas to somewhere a little more dangerous – Iraq."

"It was just as the first war broke out, our cover was that of clerks working for one of the relief agencies. Saddam was very careful at the time where the agencies were concerned, because he had infiltrated a couple of them to trade in arms from abroad. At first we managed to do our job quite easily, but then..."

Horatio looked carefully at Mich – her face had lost all trace of fear but what he saw worried him. As her memories returned, her eyes became cold and hard as flint, her face – normally alive and animated – became lifeless. Reaching out, he touched Mich's hand, waiting for her to continue her story.

"My friend and I were caught up in the middle of everything and became part of his infamous 'human shield', we stayed quiet, watching as other people around us argued and fought with Saddam's people to be let free. MI5 and the CIA were working together to try and get us out."

"The chaos that followed was incredible, but the last straw was when Saddam threatened to kill the kids while we were in the holding room. He held a gun to a boy's head himself, Sasha and I couldn't help ourselves, we managed to get the boy away, but as a result someone realized we were more than what we were pretending. The civilians were released immediately, the following day Sasha and I were thrown into a prison."

"At first the guards left us alone, unsure what to do, but then they must have received orders. Initially it was basic questioning that the two of us were able to endure, but then it started to get physical. I've always had a high pain threshold because of the falls I've had through riding, but after a while Sasha broke. She was careful to only give them small amounts of information – things that they already knew."

"Initially we were questioned separately, but when they realized that I wasn't affected by pain, they started putting us together. A guard spotted that I flinched slightly when they gave Sasha an electric shock." Mich paused for a moment, tears coming into her eyes and sliding slowly down her face. "They realized that they could do what ever they liked to me and I wouldn't give in. Sasha was my weakness – I hate seeing anyone being treated badly."

Horatio remained silent remembering how angry Mich had become when anyone was nasty to her staff or the horses. He wasn't surprised that she had reacted to the treatment her friend had received. Mich remained silent for a short time, allowing Horatio to think – watching her closely, he saw the muscle in her cheek twitching – a sure sign that she was fighting her emotions.

He had never seen her like this and realized how hard it was for her to talk. Though he didn't quite know where the story was going, he recognized that to talk about something that she had bottled up inside her for over fifteen years was extremely difficult for Mich and that she would have to re-live some of her past to show her trust in him. A past she didn't want to remember.

&&

Horatio waited, Mich had been quiet for nearly ten minutes, saying nothing sitting as if turned to stone. Her hand in his was cold, as cold as ice and he became worried, afraid that she would pull away and not continue her story.

He had to get it out of her, he had acknowledged to himself how he felt about the ex-MI5 agent and it wasn't something he could let go of easily. That fact that Mich was here and had started talking was an indication of how she felt in return, but…

"Mich, if you don't want to tell me what happened, it's ok. I understand that you've been conditioned into not talking about what you've done." He was about to continue when she pulled away and walked to the window.

"But it's not ok Horatio, all through my career I've only had one person I can rely on besides myself – and now I can't talk to him in case his cover is blown. You stepped into that void without realizing it. He understood me, accepted the tantrums and nasty comments, because he was part of the organization himself, knew what was going on."

"You have never been able to know what I did – yet I treated you the same way and the longer you stayed, the more I thought I would be able to find a way out on my own. I was wrong, you have the patience of a saint – how else would you be able to put up with what I put you through? I need your help and the only way to convince you to come back and help me is to tell you what happened… It's just so damn hard."

Horatio could hear the sob in her voice as she finished talking and knew Mich was trying to be honest with him. He cursed all government agencies that sent their people overseas to do jobs that they had no way of talking about to ease their conscience. Then he had an idea.

"How about I ask the questions?"

Mich turned to face him a helpless look on her face, "Horatio, I've been trained in fighting interrogation techniques – you think you can get around me? I didn't talk in Iraq – you sure as hell aren't going to get anything out of me if we go that way.'

Horatio gave a wry smile, "I wasn't going to… I was thinking more along the lines of a de-briefing…"

Hope flared in Mich's eyes for a moment as she thought about the suggestion. Horatio startled her by calling for the nurse and asking for breakfast for them both. As she gave him a look of consternation he chuckled and lifted a hand towards her, inviting her to sit down next to him.

"One thing different about a de-briefing and an interrogation… The atmosphere... Join me for breakfast and we can talk."

Mich gave a slight smile, maybe it would work – she could sense that Horatio was trying to make it easier for her – though she knew he would not agree to a return to the barn without good reason. His smile gave her hope, but his eyes told her he was not completely convinced it was the right path to follow.

Quietly she returned to his side and sat down, "Ok, let's give it a try."

**

Horatio took a moment to think and decided to keep clear of her work for a moment, something told him that Mich wanted to talk, but she was scared for some reason. "Tell me about your controller – no specifics, but why he was able to understand you. You say I stepped into his place – but I didn't do it intentionally. Are we that alike?"

Mich nodded shyly, "You both encourage me in what I do – support me as much as you can without interfering. Yet when it comes to the tough decisions, you are both strong in what you have to do. When I need consoling or I'm upset by something, you're both there. It doesn't matter if I can't talk about it – you know that something is getting me down and you are there for me."

"At times when I'm taking too many chances, or crossing the line, you are strict and disciplined enough to pull me back and you're not afraid to stand up to me when I lose control of my temper." Mich paused while the porter brought in their breakfast, and Horatio could see that she was getting upset again.

As the tears began to slide, Mich began talking again, "That's the worst part… I can feel the anger building inside of me, but I can't always control it. I manage to keep it inside while around the others at the barn, Kate, Nicki – my clients - I fight not to let it show around them. Poor Kyra occasionally gets it, especially as she's growing older, I can't help it."

"Horatio, it's not that I don't trust you, I do, but when I get really angry I don't trust myself – I'm afraid that I'm going to do something that will really hurt someone. My controller understood that – used to let me take my anger out on him, he realised I needed an outlet, I guess I saw that in you too… Took my frustration out on you not to hurt anyone else."

"It's what made you leave – isn't it."

Horatio sighed, "I couldn't understand why you were always so angry with me, and I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to switch off after a hard day and home was becoming more stressful than my job."

Mich gave a sad smile, "I never wanted to hurt you Horatio, but I know I have driven you away with my actions. I am so sorry to have treated you this way. I never needed to talk to my controller about my work, about why I got angry because he already knew… You didn't and I couldn't tell you, I want to try and fix that, but I don't know how to start without losing my temper and that's what scares me – what stops me from talking... But I really want to try."

"Mich, I've seen your temper. It's bad, but not that bad…"

Mich shook her head, "Believe me Horatio, you haven't seen anything and I hope you never will. Even my controller never saw me at my worst."

Horatio was curious, "from what you're saying, you were closer to your controller than most agents get. How come?"

Mich swallowed her tears, "You've heard the expression – you hurt the ones you love the most – I guess that's true for me."

"You loved your controller?" Horatio was puzzled, if the people at '5' knew about the relationship, they would have ended it quickly so how was Mich able to keep it going for so long?

Mich smiled softly, "Of course I did, I still do. He's my father."

&&

Horatio stared at Mich, confused. He had found out that Derek Foster was her father just before Amber was born and the fact had answered a few questions – some of the things he had said when Horatio had called him during the case two years ago. The way Foster had known how Mich would react – and ways to pin her down.

"But I thought your dad was Scotland Yard…"

"He is… The head of a joint operation against the Cartels. He gets news through the police about what is happening on the streets and MI5 information about what is going on at the top, he then co-ordinates any action that needs to be taken. It's how the UK has been more successful against the dealers over the last 20 years compared to other European countries. It's why I was brought in for the operation at the start and why he has to keep his cover – if the Cartels ever find out who he is..."

Light dawned in Horatio's mind, "You weren't just an escort… If any of the top players turned up later on, it was your job to take them out."

Mich nodded and remained silent, allowing Horatio time to absorb the news. She had never meant to keep it a secret from him, but at the same time her training and conditioning had prevented her from talking about any of her past – except in the most general way. Now she knew she had to talk, wanted to, she just wasn't sure how or where to start.

Quietly they ate breakfast, each lost in their thoughts, Horatio trying to see how he could help Mich further, she trying to work out how she could talk to him in return. Suddenly feeling cold, she reached for her sweater that was lying on the chair.

"How long did you sleep?"

Mich shrugged her shoulders indicating that she wasn't sure, "A few hours maybe."

Horatio frowned, "Grab a blanket and get some sleep Mich – we can't do this if you're tired." As she looked up he noticed the look on her face and was aware that she was about to reject his suggestion with her need to talk. "If you want me to come home Mich – do as I ask."

Mich dropped her head and acquiesced immediately, curling up on the chair she was asleep within moments. Horatio sighed, realizing that it was as Mich had admitted – she needed someone in her life to be stronger than she was – to set boundaries to help her keep control.

The thought saddened him a great deal. Mich certainly was a product of her training – just like a highly trained guard dog which would be released on command – some could never become family pets when their working life was over, they were just too dangerous.

As he looked at her his face softened, asleep, Mich was totally relaxed, almost serene and he knew how deep her feelings ran, if only he could bring that softer side to the fore… He took a deep breath – it would be one hell of a challenge, maybe he would even find the real Mich underneath.

He chuckled to himself realizing that he had given in to her wish – he would return to the barn, needed to help the woman he loved – not only for her sake, but for his too. He didn't know why, but he got the feeling that one day in the future it would be worth it. Pushing the small table to one side, he dropped his head back on the pillow and allowed sleep to claim him. The more he slept now, the faster he would be able to leave – the sooner he could help Mich – he just wouldn't tell her yet, not until he had found out why she couldn't control her temper - why she was so scared of her own emotions.

&&**

When Horatio awoke, it was to a pair of blue eyes, but much lighter blonde hair than he was expecting. "Kate? Where's Mich?"

The young woman chuckled, "So you do miss her," giving him a soft smile she continued. "Eric dragged her away to get something to eat – she hasn't been eating properly since you left the barn. She didn't want to leave you at first, until Eric threatened to tell you that she hadn't eaten. She gave in quite quickly then."

Horatio raised an eyebrow, Mich give in to Eric? That was a rare occurrence – so rare that it made him become silent for a moment. A slight noise near the door made him turn and he saw Eric, the grin on his face lighting up his features.

"Good to see you awake H, you had us worried for a moment."

Horatio smiled in return, "How's things at the lab?"

Eric chuckled, "I knew you'd ask me that – but I'm under orders not to tell you anything. Cal is going to come and fill you in at the end of the week."

"How's she doing?"

Eric winked, "Had a run- in with Stetler yesterday afternoon – but she sent him away with a fly in his ear – and a warning that if he came to the lab again, or disturbed you, she would arrange for Mich to drag him around the barn at the gallop."

Horatio started to laugh, it was well known in the PD that Stetler was terrified of Mich after a prank at a fund-raising event for a local children's charity had gone wrong. Mich had brought Storm and two other horses for the kids to ride on and the IA agent had pretended to start them in a race using a horn.

One horse, fortunately being held by Kate, had panicked and the child had got a fright. Mich had exploded and grabbed Stetler and thrown him to the ground, pinning him down before saying exactly what she thought of him – all without one swear word and not raising her voice above normal conversation level. Stetler had turned white as a sheet and now avoided Mich at all costs.

A fact that Horatio had come to appreciate at other, more formal functions – where he was regarded highly by his peers – and often involved in high level discussions. Discussions that Rick Stetler had no right to be part of, but had – in the past - managed to slide into. A glare from Mich would send him sliding away into a corner, where he would spend the rest of the evening.

Another soft chuckle made him smile as he spotted Mich making her way around Eric's muscular build to his side. "You look better than this morning."

Mich gave him a shy smile, startling him slightly, "Lunch helped… Though not as much as breakfast."


	2. Time to start talking

Eric and Kate, realizing that something was going on quietly made their excuses and left. Mich nervously bit her lip and took a deep breath prepared to begin talking again, but wasn't sure where to start. Horatio caught her hand and gently caressed the back slightly with his thumb.

He realized that the episode with Sasha tormented Mich, but didn't want to go there just yet. Worried that the trauma that it had caused might cause her to stop speaking, he asked a question. "Did you play any part in the second war?"

Mich nodded, "Kyra was still young and stayed with my grandmother. I was sent to Iraq on a joint operation with the CIA. The other agent was a hot-head – didn't want to wait for us to build up our cover. The idiot blew our mission and I barely got out with my life. When I returned home and saw Kyra I knew then I had to get out of '5,' I didn't want her to grow up as I had done… Without a mother.

Mich fell silent for a moment and Horatio gave her the time, knowing that her mother had died in a car accident when she was young. A soft sigh indicated that Mich was ready to continue.

"Dad was really happy about it and agreed to try and help me – technically I should have been active for another ten years, but by then Robert had passed on the information about the cartels in Miami – and the CIA wanted me to do the job… You know the rest."

Horatio gave her a soft look, "Having Kyra was the best thing that happened to you…"

Mich smiled and nodded her head, "At that time… Yes. Since then there have been other good times… Kyra made me realize that I wanted a normal life – that I had to get out of my line of work… I never realised how hard it was going to be for me to become 'normal'."

"Dad helped me to negotiate my way out. The Presidential pardon for my work on American soil was his idea. Robert suggested getting his dad involved when he found out that I was the one selected to do the job."

Horatio was surprised, "How did he know?"

Mich chuckled, "Dad told him. He knew I had to build my cover and Robert had mentioned the barn years before as a place that he had used to get away from his family. It was quite run-down when I came – but we managed to fix it up. It gave Robert's dad the opportunity to meet his grand-daughter."

"And to have a safe place for Kyra if anything went wrong…"

Mich nodded but said nothing; she had come close to using William Franks for just that purpose before Ryan had found a way out for her. As a thank you she had given Ryan her Katana blades after discovering that he had got interested in Japanese history as a result of the Cartel case.

Horatio remained silent, deciding not to continue the discussion further for now. Feigning tiredness, he persuaded Mich that he needed a nap and suggested she return to the barn and come back later with the girls. At first Mich hesitated wanting to remain near him, but he gave her a stern glance which sent her out of the door.

&&**

Mich parked her car carefully outside the hospital and went slowly inside to visit Horatio. He had insisted that she return to the barn and continue with her work, partly to give himself time to think over what she had been telling him, but also to give her time to collect her thoughts. At first she had hesitated, but when Horatio became firm, she had given in. As the days passed she had told him more about her life before they had met, stories from places around the world.

"I worked in the cities because it was easier for me to blend in, my cover was often that of a secretary for someone working for an international company. It meant that I had a lot of freedom to move around."

Horatio understood, "Which was why you used to work at night."

Mich nodded, "it was an easy way to build my cover, just like here in Miami, I was given a list of targets, then when I was done I would get out." Of the exact nature of those missions, Mich would not give details, just keeping the talk very general, he could tell that she was finding it difficult, but Mich continued pushing herself to talk.

A short phone call to Derek Foster had confirmed Horatio's suspicions – Mich had been on the verge of a breakdown not once but several times in her career. Each time her father had been there to help her out, keep her on an even keel. Several times he had tried to delay or cancel missions for MI5, but the service was short of good agents and Mich was pushed to return to the field.

"Mich was one of our best Horatio, but the more I tried to protect her, the more she was needed."

Horatio had sighed, "And the closer she came to the edge of losing it completely. One thing I don't understand is why she insisted on working alone. Surely she needed backup?"

Derek fell silent for a few moments, forming his answer carefully, not because he didn't want to tell Horatio, but because he wasn't sure how secure the line was. "Something happened on a particular mission, when she came back, Mich insisted that she would only work alone."

"I don't know exactly what happened, all I do know was that it changed her character completely. She no longer trusted anyone apart from herself – that's what she told me, but over time I've realised that it's something deeper than that – because she has trusted some a little, like the Special Forces teams she had to work with occasionally."

Horatio became thoughtful, recalling something Mich had said a few days before but he was also surprised by Derek's information, "So you don't know the full story?"

Derek's quiet answer made a chill go down Horatio's spine, "No Horatio, I don't, which is what worries me. I suspect that she has a psychological disorder, but it's nothing tangible, nothing was ever picked up in her psych testing – or if it was, the agency chose not to do anything about it. Does she still get nightmares or very depressed?"

Horatio sighed, "The occasional nightmare, but I have noticed that some days she does get very depressed. At first I thought that she was in a bad mood, especially because the staff used to be careful around her. Then I realised that she never actually lost her temper with anyone on those days – if anything she was more careful."

"She was hiding her true feelings Horatio. By making everyone think she was in a bad mood, it would stop them asking questions if they saw her upset. Mich has a temper, that I don't deny, but she uses it to conceal the depression. I think its associated with a very painful memory, but I cannot be sure."

"But why does she hide it? Why won't she talk about it?"

"I don't know. I don't believe that she won't talk about it – it's that she COULDN'T talk about it. There is something so deeply locked inside Mich that affects her daily life and slowly but surely it's eating away at her." Derek paused, "Horatio, from what you've been able to tell me, you know more about her life than anyone else on this planet, including myself and her grandmother who she was able to talk to about a lot of things."

"What are you saying Derek?"

"Help her Horatio, talking to you will stop her heading for the streets…"

"The streets? I don't understand."

Derek sighed, "Horatio, when Mich used to come back from a particularly dangerous mission, or a mission that had been unsuccessful, she would disappear for a short time. I don't know where she went, but for a couple of days Scotland Yard would find dead drug dealers or pimps lying in alleyways. Not the scum at the bottom, but the big fish – only someone with high security clearance would have known their identities."

"You think it was Mich?"

"Nothing was ever said – the killings were too random, the MO too different, cases too far apart, no connection was ever made between them. However, I knew Mich, knew how she worked – it was too much of a coincidence."

Horatio took a deep breath, "You never said anything to anyone – why?"

The answer came quietly back down the line, "Because I had no proof and she was doing the Police a favour. What would you do Horatio? I had to protect my daughter…"

Horatio sank back against his pillows absorbing the news. Quietly he thanked Derek for talking to him and disconnected the line. Was Mich responsible for the killings that Derek had spoken about? He couldn't see it somehow. The only problem was that there was just one way to get an answer…

Mich had to talk to him about Sasha. More and more he had come to realise that the first Iraq mission had been the turning point in Mich's life and that the second Iraq mission had compounded the problem as had her life with Jack. Thankfully, that second mission had also made Mich realise she had to get out of her line of work.

&&**

Mich hesitated at the door, she had expected to find Horatio working on his laptop, but he was staring out of the window lost in thought. "Horatio? You ok?"

Her voice attracted his attention and he gave her a smile to remove her concern. It was going to be a tough night. He had asked the nurse to make sure that they weren't disturbed, knowing that if Mich talked the story was not going to be pleasant.

"Sit down Mich, I've been thinking… I've found out a lot about you, but you don't know some things about me. I think you should know." Before Mich could reply, he began talking about his childhood, growing up with an abusive father, his career with the NYPD and other, more personal matters.

Mich listened, at times Horatio could see the anger on her face but as he continued it would abate, replaced with sympathy and an occasional tear. He talked about cases he had solved – and his satisfaction at being able to put people away. As he spoke, he watched Mich carefully, noting her reaction. The murders she accepted and the gang wars. Cases involving children spiked her anger as he expected as did the abuse cases.

Her reaction to a particular abuse case involving several men and a young woman was particularly severe, but not in the way he expected. He saw the anger crossing her face, but what both intrigued and scared him was the look in her eyes. The colour changed becoming almost grey and Horatio felt that he was being watched by a hunter.

Quietly he changed the subject, "Why did they call you the Wolf? Wolves usually hunt in packs, not alone."

Mich sighed, distracted from her earlier thoughts. "At first it was a joke because I refused to work with anyone else, then a mission came up that no-one wanted to do due to the risk of being caught. I did it… Afterwards one of the training officers remarked that lone wolves are usually stronger and more dangerous than the average wolf, so people started taking the name more seriously. I guess it stuck."

Horatio nodded his head in understanding and remained silent for a few moments, debating whether to tell Mich that he had spoken to her father. He decided not to for the moment thinking it might make Mich upset and he wanted her to talk first.

"Were you more dangerous Mich?"

The question was delivered in a light-hearted manner, but Mich did not smile. Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper. "I was… Too dangerous for anyone else to work with."

Horatio was stunned into silence as Mich stood up and walked to the window, refusing to make eye contact. "Why do you say that? I can understand your line of work being hazardous but…"

Mich cut him off. "Because I cannot be trusted Horatio… People that I work with get hurt…"

"You haven't hurt me yet…"

Mich gave him a scornful look, "So why are you in hospital? Why did you get shot?"

"Because I didn't wait for back-up like I should have."

"Why didn't you wait, you normally do."

"Because I was frustrated, because I didn't want the suspect to get away." Horatio was becoming a little annoyed with Mich's tone; they were descending into an all too common occurrence. A little disagreement would soon turn into a full scale argument.

Mich's voice surprisingly became softer, diffusing a potentially bad situation. "Why were you frustrated by that Horatio? It's a bread and butter situation for you… Something that you would deal with easily."

Horatio sighed, "I was tired Mich, I couldn't think straight… I hadn't slept properly since…"

"Since you left the barn… Left me… Trying to work out what went wrong between us distracted you from your work… Nearly got you killed." Mich returned to the chair at the side of the bed, "You see… it is my fault that you are here."

Mich dropped her head to the bed but Horatio could see the tears that had started. He wanted to tell her that her logic was twisted, that what had happened was his own fault but couldn't. Mich would not accept it, not until he had found out what had twisted her logic in the first place.

Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and asked the question that needed to be answered. "Tell me about Sasha."

&&**

Mich looked up and stared at Horatio, her tears stopping in surprise at his softly spoken request. "She was my best friend, why do you want to know about her?"

"Because you told me that after Iraq you refused to work with anyone. Before and during Iraq you worked with Sasha and other agents. Iraq was the turning point Mich. What happened there changed the way you worked and probably changed you."

Horatio saw Mich swallow, saw her fighting with herself. When the answer came, it was with a cold, flat tone of voice, "Sasha died in Iraq Horatio. I've told you that before."

Once again Mich stood and walked to the window, refusing to look at him. Horatio was now convinced that Sasha and what happened in Iraq were the key – especially after what Derek had told him. The problem was Mich's tone of voice indicated that she was afraid to talk about it.

Carefully Horatio eased himself out of bed. He hadn't needed the drip for several days and slowly his knee was beginning to heal, though the doc had warned him that he'd probably limp for the rest of his life. Carefully he walked across the room until he stood behind Mich, but didn't touch her.

"Mich?"

She swallowed, "Horatio… I'm scared… Will you ask me the questions? Please be careful… I'm not sure if I can control this… Though I will try, you listening to me has helped so much already."

"How did it happen Mich? How did Sasha die?"

Mich shook her head, unable to answer the direct questions. Horatio changed his ideas a little, deciding to use a more indirect route, seeing her fearful reflection in the glass of the window. "Was she a casualty of war Mich? Was she killed by the prison guards? Killed as part of the torture?"

Still Mich could not answer, but Horatio was not going to stop now as he saw Mich battling her emotions, wanting to answer him. Step by step he offered several scenarios, each time Mich shaking her head or denying his suggestions. Light dawned, by asking her closed questions he was getting slight answers from Mich and he could narrow down the options.

"Was it accidental?" Again Mich shook her head, but a look crossed her face that gave Horatio a clue. "On purpose?"

For the first time in almost half an hour Horatio got a positive answer. Yet as she answered him with a quiet yes, he noticed the look in her eyes change once more. He went back to the original line of questioning.

"By the guards?"

"No."

"As part of the torture?"

"No."

"Friendly fire?"

Mich's eyes closed briefly, before she answered in a voice so quiet he could barely hear her, "yes."

"During a bombing raid."

"No."

"Mistaken identity from an allied soldier?"

"No."

Horatio was at a loss for a moment, until a thought came into his mind. "She knew who killed her?"

Mich said nothing, a look of acceptance forming on her face as she realised that Horatio had come to a conclusion. For the first time Horatio saw the pain that Mich had been carrying for over 15 years, but he still had to get her to acknowledge to him what had happened.

"She died in the Iraqi prison?"

"Yes. Well, kind of."

"Killed by someone she knew?"

Mich swallowed, "Yes."

Horatio moved slightly causing Mich to look up at him, the tears forming in her eyes giving away her final answer. "Did you kill her Mich? Did you kill your best friend?"

As Mich broke down, Horatio pulled her close. Finally he had managed to get Mich to open up, but he knew that the worst was yet to come.

&&**

Mich was crying. Not a soft quiet sob, or screams of rage, but heartbreaking tears of pain and fear that seemed never ending. Tears that had been locked away for a long time, tears that represented the pain that Mich had been carrying.

Horatio sighed. He had deliberately kept contact to a minimum, just a touch to a hand or shoulder to reassure her. Never anything more until he was ready to speak of his decision to return to the barn.

Mich cried. Horatio tightened his grip, trying to give her the comfort she needed for the moment. Hoping that he would be rewarded with the story Mich did not want to tell.

For a moment Mich became calm in his arms and he sighed as the tears died away. Maybe now she would talk. He was just about to speak when he felt her tense up and try to pull away.

"Mich."

"Let me go."

Her voice was hard, with an edge of steel. Horatio was startled by the change and released her without realising. As she looked up at him Horatio swallowed. Part of him had always wondered how she could have been an assassin, killing people in cold blood. Seeing Mich as she now stood in front of him removed any doubts from his mind.

Her eyes had turned a pale ice blue, narrowed in anger, her face a mask. Mich's muscles were taut underneath her skin, like a predator about to jump on its prey. As he looked at her, a chill passed down his spine, he was no longer looking at the woman he loved, but had come face to face with her alter ego. Derek had been right, the Wolf was a different person, fighting for control of a body it shared.

For a moment he wondered why MI5 had not picked up on the problem when he remembered that Derek had told him that the organisation had been short of agents. Had they deliberately chosen not to see what was happening to her?

He now understood so much more. Mich was afraid to bring up the past, knowing it would awaken the dark side of her nature, a side she tried to block from her everyday life. The frustration and tension it had caused in her own mind caused the anger that had driven him away.

He noticed her fingers flexing as if anticipating a fight and took an involuntary step back to try and diffuse the situation. Horatio's mind was racing, what the hell was he going to do? Mich's whole stance indicated that she was heading for trouble, but how was he going to stop a Wolf?

Mich moved first, walking towards the door. Horatio corrected himself, she didn't walk, she prowled, moving confidently but silently toward the door. He called her softly, "Mich. Don't."

Mich almost ignored him, the only sign that she had heard him, a slight glance back over her shoulder as she hesitated before continuing to the door.

"Where are you going?"

The return answer was half purr, half growl, "I have work to do."

"The streets are different here Mich, you don't have the info you need."

Mich spun to look at him, an intense look on her face, her voice was soft, quiet, Horatio wasn't sure what worried him more – the calmness that had come over her, or the deadly look in her eyes.

"Oh, but I do Horatio… From you. There are those who control the streets from prison, those you cannot touch due to their positions in authority. Those that escaped from you on a technicality. Those that you have wanted to see face justice, but that got away from you."

She came close, gently placing her hand on the side of his face, "They cannot escape from me. Justice will be served. I will complete what you have started. I will make sure that those who got away from you will never hurt anyone else again."

Horatio's blood turned cold, he needed to get Mich to return back to her normal self. He continued to talk calmly, "and what happens when I have to come after you Mich? A pardon will not help you this time."

"You cannot catch me Horatio, and you will have no proof."

Horatio stood his ground as Mich turned for the door once again. "You've just given me proof. You've told me what you are going to do. I can match any bullets you use to your rifle and your Glock."

Mich gave a hollow laugh, "You really think I'd use my old things?"

"I'll open the old case, get your DNA from the file, get a warrant to get a comparison from you. Hell… I'm Amber's father, Kyra's legal guardian. I can get their DNA without a warrant – show how closely it matches yours…"

Mich's eyes flickered for a moment, Horatio spotted the hesitation before she stepped towards the door. He pressed home his slight advantage, his voice firmer and stronger, "what do I tell the girls when they put you away Mich?"

"Do I tell them about your past? Do I tell them about the people you've killed?"

Mich froze in place and Horatio knew he was winning, his mind recalled the day Mich had been able to start talking, how she had admitted she needed help to control her anger. He realised that if he could pull her out of her frame of mind now, it would be a step on the road to recovery.

For a moment he felt helpless as her hand reached for the door handle, then issued the order. "Don't you dare leave this room Mich."

She paused, but the weight of her hand pushed the handle down, caused the door to open slightly. As she straightened up, Horatio had one last chance.

"You walk out of that door Mich, you walk away from the girls." Mich half turned and he could see the confusion on her face, saw her about to speak, her emotions in turmoil.

"You walk away Mich and you walk out of my life. I never want to see you again." His words, spoken with strength and feeling hit Mich like a blow. She paused, her eyes becoming unfocused, head dropping. When Mich looked up Horatio saw the change of eye colour to a darker deeper blue before she slumped to the floor, head in her hands.

"Oh God Horatio… You see what I've become? Hunting for retribution placed as a higher priority than my own children, my own family… What kind of monster am I?"

Warily Horatio walked across the room. He had now seen how quickly Mich could change and hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should continue to push Mich for answers. Taking a deep breath, he decided to go on. At the moment he had an advantage – but knew it might not last for long.

"Why do you need retribution for something that happened nearly twenty years ago Mich?"

As Mich stood up, he noticed that her alter ego had returned, though it was now under control. "I have to pay for what I did, for killing Sasha… The only way is to serve… Justice is a hard master. One day my penance will end."

Horatio swallowed now understanding what drove Mich on. He himself suffered from the same burden, the need to pay for what he had done. The only thing was, he knew why he was paying, but what was Mich's reason. A slight movement drew his thoughts as Mich sat on the end of his bed, a powerless look on her face.

"I can help you."

Mich lifted her right hand and rested it gently on his cheek. The look in her eyes so tender Horatio was stunned for a moment. The helpless whisper came back to him, "I know you can, but I don't want to hurt you again. What happens if I lose it another time? Drive you away…"

"It doesn't have to be that way Mich, in three days I'll be out of here." Horatio's voice was soft, but strong, "We can talk about what happened to change you. Is talking about it what scares you?"

"Just thinking about it scares me Horatio." Mich's hand rested on the end of the bed, Horatio's hand enclosed her own, re-enforcing his words.

&&**

"Sharing the burden makes it easier to carry."

"You have your own burdens to carry Horatio, I know that, but you do not share them. You carry them alone. It's not fair that you carry mine too. I cannot let you do that, it's not fair on you."

Horatio's fingers interlocked with Mich's prising them gently from the bed. Drawing her slowly towards the chair so he could sit down himself he gave her a wry smile, "It's what I do Mich, but believe it or not, I do have help. There are those that may not know what burdens I carry, but their support and friendship helps me. As you have helped me…"

Mich's eye's widened for a moment, before her head dropped and she sighed. "You're not going to give up on me are you?"

"No."

Mich gave a soft smile, "Most people would have… But as I have found out, you are not most people. So what do you want to know?"

As Mich waited for him to get back into bed and relax, she sighed and Horatio saw the sadness and pain cross her face followed by the fear. The next moment he saw her take a deep breath and look up at him, eyes clearer than he had ever seen them, acceptance on her face, and a willingness to talk to him.

"Why does talking about things scare you so much?"

The question was a little unexpected and Mich struggled to find an answer, not because she didn't want to answer, but because she was trying to remain in control of herself and wasn't sure how to explain.

Mich swallowed, "because talking about certain things makes me depressed. I hate feeling that way which makes me angry and I cannot always control my anger. I start hitting out at people close to me to release it. With you around, I'd started to fight it, but it wasn't enough."

"and when your anger builds… You go looking for trouble."

Mich turned pale, "How did you find out about what I did on the streets?"

Horatio gave a soft smile, "Your Dad told me. He always suspected what you did, but could never prove it. Never wanted to prove it."

"He never said anything."

"He understood that you needed the release, and you weren't exactly going after ordinary people. I still don't understand how you were able to work with Jack."

Mich gave a soft smile, "Having Kyra changed me a little, I was more able to cope with things. I used to get depressed instead of fighting. I was able to work with Jack because of her. Robert had also shown me a better side of life."

"While it didn't help me to control my anger, I was a happier person, less prone to becoming depressed and angry." Her voice softened a little more, "You and Amber have also helped, more than you realise."

"But your anger has been increasing recently. Why?"

"I don't know, the only thing I can think of is the stress of the barn. Some of the clients are…"

Mich's voice had become hard, Horatio covered her hand with his own, "I understand. Maybe you should be more picky Mich – not just accepting anyone who comes along. Keep those that are worth training, not the hangers on."

Mich gave him a helpless look, "I wish I could Horatio, but some of the hangers on pay more… If I lose them…"

Horatio sighed, "You lose too much money – and the stress doesn't go away. If anything, it increases."

Mich nodded, but said nothing. Horatio also remained silent seeing the vicious circle she was caught in. Studying her for a moment, he saw how tired she was, how the emotions of the last couple of weeks had slowly broken her down.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for the last part, knowing it wasn't going to be easy for either of them. "Tell me about Sasha."

&&

Mich swallowed and closed her eyes. For the first time in her life she had been able to talk about parts of her life that she was the most secretive about, things that she had locked away inside. It was partly due to her need to be there for her girls, but mainly due to the man in front of her.

Having him in her life had helped her fight the depression and the anger of the past, but between her work at the barn and his sense of duty, they had little time for each other. The stress of unforgiving and demanding clients had caused her frustration to rise and Horatio's long hours made her resentful of his job, causing the friction between them to increase.

Horatio watched silently and could almost see her mind working, see how Mich was trying to put things together. He knew she needed time, but could also sense that she would not back out. A look of anguish passed across Mich's face, making him reach for her hand in reassurance. An attempt at a smile in return reinforced how difficult the next few moments were going to be. Horatio sat back as Mich began her story.

**

"Sasha and I were very similar in character and appearance. On several occasions we were mistaken for sisters – even twins. Her hair was almost white blonde, thanks to her grandfather who had come over from Norway during the war and decided to settle in the UK."

Mich chuckled softly, "We gave our training officers hell – always competing to be the best, always forcing them to choose between us… At first they thought we hated each other, but it was quite the opposite. Sasha was better at languages, had the lateral thinking. Me, I was more tactical, better on the range and building intelligence."

"When our trainers realised what good friends we really were, they trained us as a team. One remarked that it was a shame that we were both female – they were desperate for a husband/wife team for an operation. Sasha joked that we could pretend that we were gay… I could play the butch partner… Control actually considered it for a short time. You can imagine the stick I got for that one."

Mich fell silent for a moment as more memories returned, becoming more thoughtful, "After we finished our training, we got a flat together just outside London. It was good for both of us; I was close to my grandparents where I had my horses, so I could ride when I had time off. Sasha liked it because the roads were good – she loved her motorbike. We joked that we both liked horsepower."

"When problems started to surface in Iraq, Sasha was already elsewhere, so I was sent in alone to start building intelligence. The mission was relatively straight forward, though the situation deteriorated rapidly, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"Just before Saddam invaded Kuwait, Sasha was sent in. Control wanted another set of eyes on the ground. They wanted to send a male agent, but I demanded and got Sasha…" Mich began to get upset and Horatio tightened his grip on her hand. "If I had listened to them, she would still be alive…"

Horatio sighed. "You cannot be sure Mich… Your line of work was not without its dangers…"

Mich dropped her head, "Whatever… All I know is that what happened to her is partly my fault, regardless of how things turned out."

Mich regained her composure, but the sadness remained. "When we were caught, the guards tried to get information out of us, but we gave away little – nothing they didn't already know. In their arrogance, they decided we were low level agents because we were women."

"Our 'trial' was held a week or so later. We were found guilty of 'crimes against the state' and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge took great pains to point out that 'spies' were normally executed."

Mich closed her eyes and stopped talking, her head dropping, trying to hide the anguish that she was feeling. Horatio gave her time to think, worried that she would not go on if he interrupted or pushed her. When Mich continued, he could hear the struggle in her voice, the struggle to control her emotions.

"We were sent to the only 'maximum security prison' they had. The warden told us we would be placed on 'death row' to remind us of our punishment. As we were being led away, he apologised that there was no suitable facility for women. He said that no Iraqi woman had ever needed to be detained at such a high level."

"That was when Sasha and I realised how much trouble we were in. When we were shown to our cell, we thought we were fortunate. There was just enough room for the two of us, a thin mattress each to sleep on and a bucket in the corner for our toilet. The cells had no walls – just bars. On one side was a cell with about ten men, they were all convicted of murder or rape the guards told us."

"On the other side were about twelve men, all soldiers… Our soldiers. SAS, Delta Force, Navy Seals. They were furious when we were brought in. They began swearing and shouting at our captors, Sasha and I were worried that they would bring trouble on themselves, but the guards just laughed."

"For a week or so everything was more or less ok. The guards left us alone and as long as we kept the noise down we were allowed to talk to the soldiers next to us. They couldn't believe that we were MI5. The food wasn't great, but being on 'death row' meant we got better than some."

"Executions were carried out every Monday. The first time, the guards watched Sasha and I carefully to see how we reacted to the gunshot that signalled the end of someone's life. We both remained as quiet and calm as possible."

"The following weekend, we had our 'shower'. At first we were worried – but the boys told us not to be too concerned. We were told to stand against a wall and hosed down. The guards thought it was great fun, but we didn't get much cleaner – just wet."

Horatio gritted his teeth at Mich's tale, forcing himself to keep calm though his own temper was rising. Mich had accepted the bad treatment, knowing it was part of the risk of her work, but it didn't make him feel any better. Looking at her face, he knew her story was about to get worse.

For the first time Horatio doubted the wisdom of his decision to get Mich to talk.

&&**

Horatio sighed, causing Mich to glance up at the slight sound. "Everything ok Horatio? Are you alright?"

Her concern made him smile slightly as he shifted position. Outside it had become dark as the night chased the day away, "I'm just a little stiff, can you get us a drink?"

Mich smiled shyly, realising that Horatio had found an excuse for a break, which was probably just as well. She had felt herself beginning to slide into a negative mind set, could feel the darkness clouding her mind. A break was definitely what she needed.

Checking the cabinet, she noted that there was very little water left, so decided to go out for a short walk and get some more, plus something for herself. Seeing the concern on Horatio's face, she promised him that she would return.

As she walked quietly along the corridors and out into the street Mich's mind was turning over. Now that she had finally began to talk about Sasha, her own mind was starting to sort itself out, but she could feel the anger simmering below the surface and it scared her more than ever before.

Left alone for a while, Horatio was also able to think. Though Mich currently had her emotions under control, he could sense that the situation would probably change on her return. He hoped he would have the strength to help her. Had he pushed too much too soon?

A slight noise brought him out of his thoughts and he quickly changed his expression to one of welcome as Mich walked back in. He was happy to see her looking a little calmer; the short break had seemed to help her too.

After the two of them had relaxed a little, Horatio could see the distress flow across Mich's face. "We can do this another time if you want."

Mich shook her head, "No, I have to do this now, or I will never be able to do it again, and you deserve to know the complete story." Taking a deep breath she continued.

"One night I was woken by a scream of anger, in her sleep Sasha had rolled close to the bars of the cell and two of the men had reached through. One had put his hand over her mouth to stop her from making a noise – the other was…" Mich paused and Horatio could see the anger cross her face. "Anyway, Sasha wasn't the type to stay quiet, she bit the hand across her mouth, punched the man in the face."

"The one that had been… touching her backed off quickly before she had a chance to get him, but the look on his face said it all. It made me feel sick inside and I knew then that things were going to get a lot worse."

"The guards thought it was hilarious. From that night on, Sasha and I put our mattresses on top of each other next to the soldier's cell. We slept head to toe while the guys took it in turns to watch over us – I think they realised things were about to change."

"The following Sunday, we had our 'shower' and the men that were due to be executed were brought out. One was the man that had been touching Sasha. The guards asked what he wanted for his last meal. He refused a meal, asking to spend a night with us instead. The sergeant agreed."

Horatio fought his anger, seeing Mich struggling to control her own as she continued. "They let him in our cell, waited to see what happened. There was no way we were going to be nice for him. I let Sasha get in the first strike; the strength of it surprised him a little, but didn't stop him."

"One of the soldiers tried to grab him through the bars, tried to help us, but the guards came and ordered him back at gun point. They wanted to see what would happen." Mich's eyes became dull, lifeless, her voice hard. "Needless to say, against the two of us he had no chance. It was the first time either of us had killed in cold blood – and we used our bare hands to do it."

"For the next couple of weeks it became a game for the guards – to see how long someone could survive against us, they didn't even wait for the execution days, just sent men in at random. They said we were saving them bullets. One day they even sent two men against us, by then we didn't care anymore, all we wanted to do was survive."

Mich paused and Horatio caught hold of her hand, could feel her shaking with anger. "Did they ever send one of the soldiers in?"

Mich gave a hollow laugh, "No. The two that were executed while we were there got a bullet. The guards knew they wouldn't touch us – and we wouldn't fight them. There was no entertainment."

"Then Sasha got sick. It was just some kind of simple virus, but it made her weak. The guards thought things would get more interesting. The first man that was sent in died quickly, the guards had forgotten about the soldiers who had realised that Sasha and I could take care of ourselves. This time I was able to force the convict against the bars, one of the soldiers broke his neck."

"After that the guards kept the soldiers away. Two more men were sent in separately and I dealt with them too. I was fighting for my life, fighting to protect Sasha. By then I was no longer myself. During the day Sasha would talk to me about better times, but it just made me more angry, though I hid it from her."

"The guards tired of the game, after about six weeks in total they stopped sending men in. One night, they came and grabbed Sasha, she had recovered from the virus, but was still very weak. They threw her in a cell with four men…"

**

Horatio closed his eyes, sickened by what he knew had happened. "Mich, enough… You don't need to tell me any more."

"You wanted to know Horatio… Please let me finish… I have to get this out now." Mich's voice was hard, causing him to open his eyes. As he expected, he once again faced the Wolf, but this situation was different, something of Mich still remained, he could see it in her eyes. Whether it was because she was finally able to talk, or because of his presence he wasn't sure.

Mich fought down the anger and her expression became more neutral. "The guards joked that it would be my turn next, but it never happened."

"A couple of days later there was a bombing raid on Baghdad. The prison was hit quite badly, many inmates were killed – guards too. All I knew was that the soldiers' cell was damaged. They weren't going to wait for someone to recapture them, but they did take the time to get Sasha and I out."

"A SEAL captain took charge of the group. We armed ourselves quickly while we were moving, one of the soldiers saw that Sasha wouldn't be able to keep up, so he carried her."

Tears started to slide down Mich's face, "His nickname was 'Orso' - Bear – and he was as big as one too. I don't know how he managed to keep up with his bulk and Sasha's weight, but he carried her as if she was nothing."

"We kept moving south for nearly six hours, hoping to reach the Tigris at some point – then to use the river to get to the Persian Gulf. By then we were all exhausted. I had stayed close to Sasha – as had two other Delta Force guys, they were Orso's friends from the same platoon. We had no food and desperately needed to change clothes. The guys were in their combats, but a few had no shirts – a couple no boots. Sasha and I were in the clothes we'd been caught in, useless for the situation we were in."

"The following day, the group got separated – a patrol caught sight of us and in the panic the Delta guys, Sasha and I were forced to take a different route. We chose to take cover and hide, but we could hear the shooting as the others ran. I never saw any of them again – and I was never able to find out if they got back."

"The five of us decided to stay hidden until dark and then slowly made our way through the streets. We took clothes from bodies in the streets – soldiers, not civilians, hoping that at a distance we would not be recognised. We had a bit of luck when we acquired a compass and map. Sasha recovered slightly, was able to move with us, but she was still weak – partly because of the rough handling she'd received from the four convicts. Orso insisted on carrying her when we had to move quickly."

The tears began to flow more strongly down Mich's cheeks, "We made it to the edge of the river when another patrol surprised us… Orso and Sasha were pinned down by gunfire behind a wall… We tried to give them covering fire so they could join us… One of the Delta guys was hit…"

Mich's anger returned, though the tears continued to fall, "I couldn't help them… I tried to get to them but couldn't… Orso tried to get Sasha to us, but he went down… I don't know how many times he was hit. It was like one of those crazy action movies where people don't die straight away. He was so strong… he just kept going."

"His friend tried to drag me away, but I kept screaming for Sasha. She just looked at me and waved me away. Told me to go." Mich took a deep breath, wiped away the tears. "She called me – didn't want them to take her back to the prison… I lifted the rifle I had taken… She closed her eyes and nodded… I knew what I had to do, accepted it."

Mich could keep back her grief no longer, but as Horatio reached out to console her she pulled away, not feeling she had earned the right to accept his sympathy. Standing up, she moved to the window, her arms wrapped around her body allowing the tears to run.

Horatio moved to her side, as he tried to pull her close Mich began to push him away, but Horatio stood firm and Mich relaxed against him.

Finally he understood, Mich's anger was directed at herself, at her inability to help Sasha. Until now she had been unable to release her grief at losing her friend and punished herself for it on a regular basis. Her work for MI5 had given her an outlet for that anger, but on occasion it had not been enough. He hoped that the grief would mean that she would now be able to learn to control that anger, but doubted it for the moment.

"You did what you had to do Mich. Better Sasha died that day than she lived to the treatment she would have received back in the prison, if she had returned there. They may have just executed her on the spot."

"How can you say that Horatio? Condone what I did?"

"Because I don't think I would have had the courage to do the same. You could have left Mich… Left her to face mistreatment, or to die alone. You didn't. She told you to go… Made the choice – wanted you to live – or at least have a chance. You honoured her choice."

"But I still have to live with it."

"Yes. And I know how that feels. That I can help you with."

"It will never go away."

"No. But you can learn to live with it. Carry it better than you do now."

Mich straightened in Horatio's arms and he released her. "You're right, I need to sort myself out, some time to think things through better. I know I can talk to you now without the fear, but I'm not sure I can control the anger completely."

Horatio nodded, "Take all the time you need to think, but I need a promise from you before I can let you leave."

Mich fought the frustration rising inside and nodded her head. Her word was her bond and Horatio knew that, she knew he would use it to set boundaries, but she had a feeling it was what she needed – at least in the beginning. He returned to his bed and sat down, fixing her with a hard look.

"Stay away from the streets. Keep control of that temper as much as you can. Use it against me as you have done in the past and I will leave for good." Mich closed her eyes in pain and Horatio's voice softened, "Do as I ask and I will return to the barn. Help you to live with what you did, help you to move on."

"I will." Mich took a deep breath and looked up, "Horatio… Thank you, I owe you so much… Our girls have one hell of a father, I know you will always be there for them."

Mich paused at the door and looked at him shyly, "You'll always be there for me too won't you, even if things don't work out for us…" Seeing the look that crossed his face she sighed, "One day I will be able to repay you, I don't know how yet, but believe me I will… You deserve so much more…"

The sincerity in her voice filled Horatio with relief though he hid it from her. As the door closed he gave a large sigh, wondering what the hell he had let himself in for.


	3. H back at work

Horatio sighed, back at work for barely a week a hot potato had dropped right into his lap. If Stacy Keaton's friends were right, then she was just one of many kids that got hooked up into a cult – some of whom never came out. It was not the MDPD's job to get them out, if however – as her parents claimed - she was being held against her will… Kidnapping was in his jurisdiction, until the FBI came along.

Walking out of the reception area out towards the pool, he paused, wondering how he would be able to recognize the person he was looking for. Stopping a pool attendant, he mentioned the name of the man he needed to speak to but received a shake of the head. He was about to walk away when the attendant pointed out the woman reclining back on the sunbed.

Walking over to her Horatio paused and spoke quietly. "Excuse me ma'am, would you happen to know the whereabouts of a Mr Saviour Bernardino?"

The dark blonde looked up, trying to shield her eyes from the sun that was directly behind Horatio's head, "I'm sorry, Who?"

"Mr Saviour Bernardino."

She shook her head, "Never heard of him."

Horatio made an exasperated noise, "I find that difficult to believe, considering you're sharing a hotel room with him."

The blonde gave him a startled look and then began to chuckle softly, the chuckles getting louder, "Oh boy… wait till I get him for this one…"

"Would you mind telling me what's so funny?"

The woman sat up a little giving Horatio a stern look, "Who wants to know?" H gritted his teeth, annoyed that he was being played, but he drew back his jacket slightly to reveal his badge.

"Horatio Caine, Crime Lab."

She reacted immediately, sliding her feet off the bed and into the sandals that were next to her on the floor, her voice responding softly, "Not here Lieutenant. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

The abrupt change in her mood made Horatio curious, shrugging his shoulders he gave out the only other information he had. "I was told I might need to ask Gaby to dance."

The blonde turned pale for a moment before regaining her composure, and picking up her bag. H offered a hand to help her stand. Accepting it, she stood, then gave him a look of stunned amazement before an amused smile lifted the corner of her mouth. "I don't really dance anymore Lieutenant – except at home - but I think I can help you speak to Dino, let's go somewhere a little more comfortable and talk." Leading the way into the hotel, she was followed by a mystified Horatio.

&&

"So, please tell me what made you laugh when I mentioned your partner's name."

Gaby grinned, "I've only ever known him as Dino – and we've been together for just over three years and been friends for much longer. All his business cards are printed as S. Bernard, so you threw me for a moment. Wait till I get him on this one."

Horatio noted the twinkle in the blue eyes and smiled to himself, in the last few moments he had realized that Gaby Santiago was very similar to Mich, though without the scars of the past. The blonde regarded him carefully, a soft smile on her face. "Can I get you a drink?"

H shook his head, "No, thank you"

Gaby sighed, "Water or orange juice Lieutenant – don't tell me you don't feel thirsty in this heat."

Horatio smiled at her teasing and accepted the juice, "So, tell me about… Dino, and why my little expression changed your mind."

Gaby sighed, "You're looking for a K&R specialist. Dino is one of the best. The best – but then, I'm a little biased in my opinion. We're here for a conference, but I was feeling a little sick this morning, so I opted out of today's meetings."

Horatio's concern showed on his face, "Nothing serious I hope."

Gaby shook her head, "We got in from the Solomon Islands late yesterday evening, it was probably the lack of sleep combined with the jet lag, I'm fine, but thank you for asking."

"The expression that you used was a code, used to request assistance from a specialist extraction team to help rescue a hostage."

Horatio nodded, "So people used to go through you to gain access to the team."

Gaby chuckled, "You could say that. I was part of that extraction team, though I retired a few years ago – the organization is run by my younger brother now."

"And Dino?"

"Played a large part in helping me to retire." Gaby's voice was so soft that H almost didn't catch her words, but he did notice the flicker of pain in the corner of her eyes. "If there's something specific you need to know, maybe Dino and I could meet up with you later, he'll be finished around five."

Horatio nodded, "That would be great, could you come to the PD?"

Gaby smiled, "Certainly, I look forward to it."

Taking his leave, H gave her a curious glance over his shoulder confirming that she was concealing her mirth. He couldn't work out why a meeting between himself and a K&R specialist would be the centre of so much amusement.

&&**

Mich sat quietly in the chair watching Horatio finish his paperwork. They were still building things slowly, still sleeping in separate rooms, though Horatio had agreed to stay at the barn. She bit her lip, forcing the stress and frustration within her to die down.

Horatio glanced at her quickly, noticing the frustration – and the effort it took for Mich to quell it. Since his return to the barn, he had found out the depths of depression to which Mich would sink, not able to pull herself out without his help.

Searches online and discussions he had had with Alexx and friends of hers had confirmed his thoughts. Mich was suffering from a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which manifested itself in extreme depression and anger. Many sufferers often took out their feelings on those closest to them... Friends, family, colleagues… Horatio had sighed, each day unravelled a little more of Mich's past.

The lives she had taken weighed on her shoulders heavily – even those she accepted deserved it. The treatment she had received at the hands of men during the Iraq war – those that had killed her best friend, as he chose to look at it – had made him close his eyes in pity as he began to understand her, understand why she behaved the way she did.

"Horatio?"

He looked up, his face impassive for the moment, making Mich wait for a moment before he would accept her question. "What is it?"

Mich swallowed nervously. Part of H's idea of setting strict boundaries on her had helped her to control her frustration and anger, but she had reached the point whether she wondered if he would trust her with his emotions ever again after what she had done to him. She accepted it, knowing that she would have to earn his trust and respect.

"Should I go home and begin to prepare dinner? It's after five and the girls will be getting hungry soon."

Horatio's face softened a little, for the last few weeks Mich had managed to successfully keep her anger under control – not arguing with him or passing any snide comments when he returned home from work late. It had been nearly a month since his return to the barn under the 'rules' he had set out.

Psychologically, he knew he was breaking Mich's spirit, the part of her that would fight for survival – but it was no longer needed. Breaking the conditioning that she had received from MI5 would take a while, but she was certainly trying her best.

Standing up, he walked across to where she was sitting and held out his hand, inviting her to stand up. Mich eyed him curiously, not able to work out what was going on.

"Actually, I'm expecting someone, so you'll have to wait a little longer."

In the past Mich would have reacted impatiently, annoyed at any kind of delay that he imposed on her. However, today she remained quiet and nodded her head, trying to turn away and sit down again, but H prevented her and smiled softly, "I've also arranged for Sarah to stay for the evening so we can go out for dinner."

Mich was startled and looked up, unsure what to say. The look she saw in Horatio's eyes unmistakable, bringing tears to her own. "Are you sure?"

H chuckled softly, "You've been able to control your demons since I left the hospital – no arguing with anyone, no nasty comments… No fighting with me even though I know that there have been occasions where you've wanted to let go. I'd say that calls for a slight celebration…"

"But…"

Horatio saw the fear in Mich's eyes return, the helplessness that she felt when it came to controlling her deepest fears, "Mich… You've got over the hardest part, there will be times when we get a setback, but I think it's only fair that we acknowledge how hard you've worked. Besides, I've missed our walks along the beach…"

He pulled Mich closer giving her a gentle hug, softly kissing the top of her head and heard the quiet sobs beginning. After a few moments, she recovered, looking up at him relief showing across her face. As he smiled back Horatio noticed the determination in her eyes, determination to fix what had gone wrong, determination to see things through.

"Thank you."

Horatio knew that life with Mich and her extreme mood swings was not going to be easy. The fact that he still didn't know all details of her past him bothered him slightly, but he had come to recognize that she clung to those secrets like a child to a security blanket and it would take time for her to let go. Every day they spoke about something – Mich starting the conversations after the girls had gone to bed.

Sometimes he had seen the anger rising within her and waited until she had controlled it. Other times she had collapsed in tears and he had comforted her. Slowly, she had opened up to him more and more.

Now he understood what she had been through a little more – had seen the psychological effect her past had on her state of mind, he accepted that he might never know some of Mich's secrets. Returning to his chair he knew that part of Mich might forever be locked away – but he also knew that she trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone in her life.

Catching her eye he gave a soft smile, rewarded with a noticeable blush across Mich's cheeks. Her character was slowly changing and he wondered if this was how she had been before she was trained by the intelligence agency. He hoped so, the softer Mich was not afraid to show the more positive of her emotions and Kyra was certainly benefiting from a less volatile mother.

Noticing the time, he started to put away his files, leaving just one on his desk when Paula called to say his visitors had arrived.

&

"Lieutenant Caine… Dino…"

Horatio got up slowly from his chair, his eyes fixed on the man in front of him. Gaby was trying not to laugh out loud, but she could imagine what was running through his mind. A quick glance towards her partner showed that he was just as bewildered.

Horatio appeared to be slightly taller than the man who stood facing him – though that could have been due to the fact that Dino's hair was cut much shorter and closer to his scalp. Dino's eyes were a slightly deeper shade of blue, though Gaby knew that could change in an instant – and suspected the same was of Horatio, remembering their meeting earlier that day.

For a moment you could hear a pin drop as the two men regarded each other slowly, before Horatio began to smile, "Now I understand… and there seems to be some truth to the saying that everyone has a double." Shaking hands with the slightly younger red-head he explained himself, mentioning Gaby's amusement from that afternoon.

Dino chuckled, "She's been giving me hell since I arrived back at the hotel. Now I know why." He gave a curious glance towards Mich, who had been watching the whole exchange quietly, but saying nothing.

Horatio apologised, introducing her, noting that her eyes narrowed a little as she looked more closely at the K&R specialist. Mich however greeted Dino with a smile as she shook his hand. A sideways glance toward Gaby made her grin, "Gaby Santiago… Now there is a name I recognise… If you're related to Gonzalito Santiago…"

Gaby looked at her in amazement, "He's my cousin… How do you…?"

Mich chuckled, "A friend of mine once told me that a Santiago polo pony is worth its weight in gold… Listen, do you fancy a coffee? We can chat while the boys talk shop."

Gaby hesitated, though not part of the Artemis teams anymore, she still wanted to know what was going on, but there was something about the older woman that made her curious. Horatio gave a soft smile as she accepted Mich's invitation and he and Dino were left to talk about Stacey Keaton.

&&**

Horatio watched as Mich toyed with her dessert, a soft smile on his face. Dinner at their favourite restaurant near the beach had been excellent and they had been able to talk and laugh just like they had at the beginning of their relationship.

"Are you ok?"

Mich looked up with a soft smile, but Horatio could see from the look in her eyes that something was bothering her. Seeing her catch her lip with her teeth, he realised that she wouldn't talk in the restaurant and suggested they moved on, calling for the bill.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder as they began to walk along the beach, Horatio spoke quietly. "So what's up?"

Mich gave a sad smile, "Hearing about Stacey makes me think of the case with the Japanese diplomat. Everything I see or hear makes me wonder what I would do if I were in your position, reminds me of my past. I wish it wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Because my first thought is always of Sasha… It's like her ghost is driving me on, making me fight against injustice… I'm tired of fighting."

"There are many ways to fight Mich."

The woman next to him sighed and he could see the sadness in her eyes, saw the darkness clouding her mind. "I know, it's just that…"

Mich swallowed and Horatio could feel the tension building in her muscles as she fought to control the anger, he nodded. "Your training takes the most direct form of fighting."

Mich nodded and for a moment he became thoughtful. "Mich… Do you see everything as clear cut…? I mean, I have to prove someone has done something wrong before I can take the final action – you just went in and dealt with the situation."

She smiled, "That's the thing Horatio. I never had to choose, others collected information – took the decision. I was never judge or jury. Just the executioner."

"But didn't you ever think about what you were doing?"

Mich sighed, "At first, no. It was all about the mission, getting in the right place, finding out the person's routine – choosing the best time. Sometimes I would be told that I had to 'keep things quiet', other times I had to 'send a message'."

She paused, "It wasn't until I first met Robert that I had settled a little. I had done some work at home – taking out some of the top people, like my work here in Miami. Dad had just taken over his post at Scotland Yard and wanted me as part of the team. I don't know how he pulled it off, but I was working intelligence again for a short while."

"After that, when I was sent back out, I was more careful. Any targets I saw with their kids made me hesitate – especially when Kyra came along. But it was my job, and I did what I had to do."

Horatio remained silent for a moment, but his curiosity got the better of him. "How many? How long?"

Mich swallowed and spoke softly, "I worked as an assassin for about 10 years. But you don't want to know any more than that Horatio."

Horatio narrowed his eyes, Mich wouldn't look at him, was hiding from him. "Tell me."

The strength in his voice caught Mich by surprise and she gave in a little. "Two or three. Occasionally more."

Horatio shrugged his shoulders, "In a year? That's not so many. Compared to what happens in Miami sometimes…"

Mich sighed and dropped her head, "I'm not talking about a year Horatio. Two or three, _a month…_"

Horatio's arm slipped from her shoulder as he stared at her in shock. When he had to take action, it was to protect himself or others – and was always delivered with a warning. Mich had killed in cold blood, with no warning at all.

He turned, looking out across the ocean trying to sort out his thoughts, pulling away from the woman by his side, not seeing the pain that crossed Mich's face at his action. After a moment he turned back, his face unreadable, "Let's go home."

As he lead the way back to her SUV Mich followed quietly, wiping away a tear that had crept out of the corner of her eye.

&**

Walking up the stairs, Horatio led the way, his fingertips catching against Mich's hand. At the top, he pulled her close for a hug before wishing her goodnight and made his way to the guest room. Mich swallowed, accepting his decision, knowing that while they were getting closer, Horatio was still wary of returning to the intimacy of their previous relationship.

Mich sighed, she had expected him to be shocked by her news, had hoped that he would never actually want to know the number of people she had removed from life, knowing how much it would hurt him to discover the truth. Yet, looking back over the last few weeks she realised that today's conversation had been inevitable.

Mich felt the frustration and anger building and determinedly pushed it to one side, her resolve to work things out strengthening – but she also felt the wall building inside of her, felt the stories of the past being locked away.

Watching as H disappeared down the corridor and into his room, Mich's head dropped slightly. Though she felt hurt by Horatio's action, it was nothing compared to his shock right now. She had to give him time to come to terms with that, not push for anything more, though all she wanted was for him to hold her, to scare the nightmares away. She still was unable to sleep completely through the night alone, though with Horatio's return she was sleeping better.

Turning to her room, she went inside and undressed slowly, putting on her robe to go to the bathroom. Gradually she brushed her teeth then her hair, all the time thinking what she could do to keep talking. A smile appeared on her face, maybe now was the time to tell him about the rest of the family… Her grandfather's work during the war, her brother now… It would be great one day if he could meet Gran…

As she made her way along the landing a sound made her pause but there was nothing, so she continued to her room. As always she had left the curtains open, able to see the stars through the window as she lay on her bed, it made her feel better. Closing the door, she sensed something was not quite right and spun around, seeing the silhouette in front of the window.

As Mich froze in place Horatio stepped forwards, his hand reaching out to cup her face, she leant into it, eyes closing, unable to prevent the tear from escaping. "Horatio, I need to tell you…"

"No. No more Mich, I don't want to know any more."

"But it's about my family. Who we are…"

Horatio placed his finger on her lips, "It doesn't matter. Getting you to talk has helped me to understand why you react the way you do, but making you live through the past is not going to make things any easier – in fact, it might make it worse – I don't want to go there."

"But…"

"No Mich, you've opened up to me and I'm thankful for that, but now we should concentrate on the present and build on what we have together. I don't want to go there any more, lock it all away in a box and throw away the key. I've seen your pain, felt it, now its time to heal."

As Horatio pulled Mich close he could feel the silent sobs make her body shake and knew he had made the right choice. Gritting his teeth he forced his own anger away, for a while Mich would need him at his most gentle – his most understanding while she tried to rebuild herself.

The realization that Mich had probably taken more lives than he ever had or would shocked him to the core and he told himself off for naively thinking that maybe she was responsible for just a small number of deaths. In just a month in Miami, she had killed half a dozen people involved with the Cartels.

He frowned to himself, wishing he had never asked the question because he should have worked it out for himself. He himself felt the burden of the deaths he had caused – but Mich's was far, far heavier than he had ever imagined – and with his reaction he had just increased the weight of it all.

Once again he cursed all government agencies that used people in this way. However, his shock had pushed Mich away, stripped her of whatever confidence she had and he wanted her to get it back. He was thankful that she still wanted to talk – his reaction could have caused her to retreat and turn from him, however she was here still wanting to volunteer information, though from her face he knew it was a conscious effort on her part.

As he held her in his arms, he almost wished for her to be back to her confrontational self, fighting him, arguing with him, but knew that would probably never happen, but maybe, just maybe, her strength and confidence within her own ability would return.

&

Horatio stirred and found the bed next to him empty, from the darkness in the room he knew it was still night time and sighed, hoping that Mich was alright. The next moment a clap of thunder sounded above his head, preceded almost immediately by a flash of lightning. In that fraction of a second he saw Mich standing by the window, looking through the glass, her arms wrapped around her unclothed body.

Standing up, he managed to locate his robe, but could not see Mich's anywhere. Slowly he walked across the room and joined her, putting his hand softly on her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

Mich turned her head and gave a soft smile, "The storm woke me up – it's gonna be a strong one. I can't help watching."

Horatio smiled in return, "What is it with you and storms? Horses named after winds…"

Mich blushed, "I guess you can blame my grandfather for that… When I was small storms scared me, so one day, he put his armchair by the window during a thunderstorm and sat with me. He said that it was only God playing skittles with the angels…"

Horatio was confused, "Skittles?"

Mich laughed, "Like bowling, but with nine wooden pins set in a diamond… The lane is cambered and made of wood… The balls too… Makes one hell of a racket."

"I bet, so what about the lightning?"

"That was one of the angels getting excited when they knocked all the pins down. My grandfather showed me the beauty of the storm – and the power. I guess that is still with me." Mich's voice became somber, "Later, the storm became my friend… When I needed to work, it hid any noise, covered my tracks so I could escape."

Horatio felt Mich's skin turn cold under his hand, realized that she was sliding into a negative mind set. He opened his robe and wrapped it around her, feeling her skin against his own. "maybe you and the storm are closer that you realize."

Her curiosity stopped Mich from thinking further about the past. "What do you mean?"

Nodding his head toward the window, Horatio spoke softly. "Look at the wind – blowing everywhere, unrestrained. It reminds me of you – your spirit - how you push yourself on without letting people prevent you from reaching your goals."

"It's destructive."

"It can be – but accompanied by the rain… Water… The giver of life… The cloud formations are beautiful – I know you agree with me on that." Mich nodded but said nothing, "The lightning highlights the beauty of the storm – but we know that the electricity it creates has great power."

Mich shivered and felt Horatio's arms tighten around her, felt the bare skin of his chest warm against her back. "So the storm combines power, beauty, destruction and freedom. Is that how you see me?"

"Yes, but at the moment the destructive part is trying to consume everything else – your spirit is fighting that, trying to balance the power and the beauty."

Mich became quiet, trying to get her head around Horatio's words, trying to understand his meaning. "Power is dangerous. Makes the destruction stronger."

Horatio smiled, "But when power allies itself with beauty and freedom… Destruction loses… Every time."

"You think I can do it?"

**

Mich's voice was so quiet, so helpless that Horatio closed his eyes for the moment. "Your spirit is strong Mich, why not?"

His partner said nothing, though her head dropped slightly, Horatio continued. "When your spirit begins to get tired, I'll be here. I'll help you fight it Mich, I promise you."

Slowly Mich leant back into Horatio, her head sliding along his collar bone until it came to rest against his chin. As she thanked him quietly, Horatio could not resist a soft kiss to the side of her forehead, receiving one to the cheek in return.

For a moment the two of them stared out of the window watching the storm, but neither could deny the emotions the soft exchange had raised within. Mich closed her eyes as she felt Horatio's lips brush gently against the skin on her neck, moving upwards to pause just behind her ear.

Wrapped up as she was in Horatio's arms and robe, Mich couldn't move, couldn't share her emotions in a physical way, but for the moment she didn't want to, merely drawing strength from his presence. Horatio, sensing that Mich was happy to remain passive, smiled to himself and floated a line of kisses along Mich's shoulder, rewarded by a soft sigh escaping her lips.

The next moment she pulled away a little, slowly shaking her head. "Horatio, please… I don't deserve this. Its enough that you've joined me tonight, but I don't want to… I don't want to make the same mistakes, don't want to take you for granted."

Mich dropped her head and took a step toward the bed, but Horatio intercepted her. "Sweetheart, now I know part of what happened to you – and I understand you a little more, I know that you've just been unable to express your feelings, except through anger. That will change – but if I have to wait for that to happen completely, I'll be an old man…"

Mich gave a soft chuckle at his joke and looked up shyly, "What are you saying Horatio Caine? That it's going to be impossible for me to change?"

"No… Just that I don't need you to be perfect…" Reaching out, he caught hold of Mich's hand and pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms and robe around her once more. The kiss that followed was the softest he had ever delivered to her lips and brought a soft sigh from Mich's throat.

"Horatio…" He silenced her with another kiss, wanting to demonstrate his love more – but would Mich give in? Would she allow him to completely take control after what she had been through in the past – or was she not ready yet?

Mich dropped her head into his chest and Horatio realized that she had started crying once more. He sighed softly to himself, for someone who had almost never cried, Mich was certainly making up for it now. He also realized that the emotions from a few minutes before had abruptly changed and this was a problem he had to deal with first.

"What's wrong?"

Mich's sobs abated slightly, "I'm scared… I don't know if I can change. I've been like this for so long…"

Horatio chuckled softly and lifted Mich's chin so she was looking him in the eye. "I don't need you to change completely Mich. I just need you to talk to me. Tell me what's going on – the things that make you angry in the present… Not the nightmares of the past – we can't fix those, but I can help you with the problems you have now."

"but…"

"Mich, I admire your strength, your instinct for survival, your dedication and determination to see things through. The way you have tried to help me when I have problems with a case – your loyalty to the whole team – even though it's not required."

Mich stared at him unbelieving for a moment, "I don't understand."

Horatio smiled, "I just hate you locking everything away from me – it's as if you don't trust me with your emotions. That you're afraid I'm going to hurt you and you know I won't do that. I'm too damn protective."

Mich sighed, "I guess I'll just have to get used to that. I'll try and keep talking to you Horatio, really I will, but are you sure that you don't want to…"

He gave a deep sigh and realised he needed to enforce his decision. "I don't want to know about the past any more, I've heard enough – at least for a while – we can talk again about that in the future, when you've had a chance to think things through a little more. I want you to talk about what's happening now."

"I don't want you to try and change into something you're not. Looking back, I know I fell in love with you a long time before we actually started going out, I don't want to lose that person… I love you just the way you are Mich. Always have done, always will do – you just make it a little tough from time to time."

"Just a little?"

Horatio laughed at the glint that he saw in Mich's eye and decided not to answer, giving her a kiss instead. Pushing her slowly back toward the bed, Mich broke free to slide inside. As he joined her he smiled when she placed her head on his chest, and sighed. "I guess Dad was right… He always said I had a guardian angel… never realized he would have red hair though, mind you, it does make a lot of sense."

Horatio was curious, "Oh?"

Mich chuckled, "Everytime I desperately needed help, it was always a red-head that turned up. Grandad when I was a kid and later…" Mich paused and fell silent. "Maybe I should just keep hold of you – would make things a lot easier."

Horatio chuckled and pulled her closer, his mind more relaxed than it had been for a long time. "I think I can cope with that."

&&**

They awoke the next morning to bright sunshine and blue skies – Horatio thankful that it was his Sunday off. Mich was in a happy mood, which spread to both Kyra and Amber and then the rest of the barn staff. Just after lunch however, he received a call from Stacy Keaton's parents which definitely put a damper on the day.

Mich saw the helpless look on his face as he spoke on the phone saw his shoulders drop and felt sad immediately. Horatio had done so much for her, yet he still kept trying to help others, was not satisfied until the case had reached a satisfactory conclusion.

When he cut the line, Horatio turned and walked out onto the terrace, looking out over the fields surrounding the house. Mich followed him, "The top of the hill is a better place for thinking you know."

The softness in Mich's voice startled him for a moment it was so unexpected. Turning, he saw the concern on her face, the look of sympathy in her eyes and sighed. "Stacy Keaton was spotted by some friends yesterday, they even spoke to her, but she won't go home."

Mich was confused, "But that's good news isn't it? She's alive – and if she's talking to her friends…"

Horatio sighed, "You would think so… But now her parents are convinced she's been trapped by some kind of cult and want to get her out."

"But that's not your department."

"No it isn't, but it's happening in Dade County and the Chief wants me to work with the Bureau on the case."

Mich frowned, "Like you don't have enough on your plate already…" Horatio gave her a sharp look at the tone of her voice and she sighed. "I'm not getting angry at you Horatio – just the situation. Is there any way I can help?"

"I don't know. I think I should talk to Dino the K&R guy again, maybe he can give us some ideas." Mich nodded her head, trying to stop the emotions crossing her face, but H noticed. "What is it Mich – is there something about him that you don't trust?"

Mich shook her head, "Far from it… I know you can trust him Horatio. I already have."

"What?"

She swallowed, "At least, I think I have… I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think we've met before – a long time ago."

Horatio stared at Mich, not quite sure what to say when he realized that she had turned pale. Moving by her side he caught her hand, feeling it ice-cold in his. "When?"

"Remember what I told you about my escape from prison in Iraq? How I managed to break free with the help of some Special Forces soldiers…"

Horatio nodded, "You said the group got separated – some may have been recaptured, but you managed to make it back to friendly lines because of one of the men."

Mich nodded and he noticed the look of fear in her eyes. "I think Dino was that soldier…"

"But you're not sure."

"Not completely – but red hair is not difficult to remember, it is a little distinctive after all and the name rings a bell."

Horatio wrapped his arms around her, his concern growing, "Do you think he recognized you?"

"I'm not sure… If he does… There could be a problem."

Horatio agreed, only a handful of people knew that Mich was former MI5, if Dino identified her, Mich's cover would be completely blown… The CIA would come calling and Mich might run or fight, not wanting to return to her former life. Either way, everything that they had just been through, were going through, would be for nothing.

"Then we'll have to find out if he does recognize you. Maybe we can get him on our side. He probably understands your point of view. I'll get him to come here rather than at the lab… it'll be better that way – the Bureau might not want someone like him involved anyway."

Mich sighed and accepted Horatio's decision; after all it was a good one. However it was not the only thing bothering her. "Horatio… There's something else you need to know…"

Seeing his curious look, she continued, reminding him of part of the story. "Remember I told you we nearly got caught when we hid in the ruins of a house? He shouted something at the guards and they went away…"

"You said that they had assumed it was a fellow guard because of the uniform he managed to get to disguise himself a little… A guard off duty with a woman…"

Mich nodded and fell silent for a moment. An idea began to form in Horatio's mind of where Mich was going and he understood her reluctance to keep talking. "Things got a little more intimate than just the two of you hiding under a blanket…"

"Yes… I didn't tell you before because it wasn't important, it did happen nearly 20 years ago…"

"How long were you…?"

Mich gave a soft smile – "just that particular night, I think we both just needed to feel… alive, especially after what happened in that prison. It took us almost a week to get back to our lines and each night we fell asleep together. It was risky, one of us should have stayed awake to keep watch, but the way he just held on to me helped me to remain calm."

"When we got back we were both sent for de-briefing and then back home. I never slept a complete night without getting nightmares after that, until…"

Horatio smiled, "Robert…"

Mich grinned, "Yeah… Robert, well, you know that story."

Horatio chuckled, before talking once more, "Did you ever meet up with Dino again?"

"I'm not sure… I had a couple of jobs where I know a Delta Force team was involved and the SAS too, but I never really worked as part of the team, my brief was different, I had to remain separate."

Horatio released her, but as he moved back inside he caught her hand to pull her after him. "Well, I think we'd better get this sorted quickly, I'll make the call. You just be ready ok?"

Mich nodded, looking a little worried but Horatio could tell that she was happy with his choice. Quickly he dialled the number of the Shore Club Hotel and asked to speak to Dino.

&&**

Arriving at the Barn, Gaby grinned with delight – she was surprised to find out how many horses were there surrounding the house where the MDPD lieutenant lived, but when she saw Mich leading a horse in from the paddock she understood. It seemed that their two red-heads were more alike than they thought.

Following Mich into the stables, Dino dragging behind, Gaby noted how well the whole place was kept – not only were the horses groomed to perfection, but everywhere was clean and tidy – the sure sign of a professional yard.

Making sure that everything was ok, Mich left Nicki and Kate to give the horses their evening feed and quietly led the K&R specialists over to the house. Horatio was relaxing in the lounge area, but stood up when their guests arrived.

"Glad you could make it – I really need your help with the case I told you about yesterday – if you can."

Dino nodded and took a seat, sensing a little tension in the air. From the look on Gaby's face, he realized that she could too. "We'll do our best Horatio, but what's going on?"

Mich swallowed and sat down on the sofa, her hand searching for Horatio's. He gave her a soft look and nodded, "We'll talk about the case in a moment, but there is something we need to know first."

Gaby spotted the look that passed between the couple on the sofa, recognizing the fear on Mich's face and the concern on Horatio's. As the older woman regained her composure Gaby noted that her gaze softened as she looked at Dino and felt her blood turn cold.

"Don't you recognize me Dino?"

Dino's eyes narrowed as they had at the lab, "I know your face, but I can't quite place the where…" His voice tailed off as Mich reached up and took the band from her hair, allowing it to fall slightly over her face. The next moment Gaby and Horatio were stunned as Dino stood and walked across the room and pulled Mich into his arms.

"My God… Heather… I wasn't sure, but…" he paused, "I always wondered what happened to you after…" Dino fell silent and looked at the two other figures in the room not sure how much Horatio knew, but knowing Gaby knew nothing.

Gaby's eyes opened wide as she saw the way Dino held Mich – the way he usually held her when she was upset. Horatio sighed and dropped his head, seeing the pain in Dino's eyes, knowing the experience the two had shared. Quietly he stood and walked out onto the terrace, motioning to Gaby to follow him.

&&

Gaby sat quietly on the bench, not sure where to start. Seeing Dino with Mich had opened up a whole barrel of questions, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answers.

Horatio sighed, he had seen Gaby's reaction and realized that she had her own nightmares from the look of pain in her eyes. "I bet you have a few questions…"

"Do you know anything?"

"A little… Mich told me quite a story – I don't think she would mind if I shared part of it with you." Slowly he began to talk about what had happened to his partner – editing out the more sensitive parts. After a few minutes he was done, looking up, he noticed that Gaby was crying softly.

"No wonder she and Dino have a connection. He hasn't told me a lot about his Delta work… It upsets him too much. Mich's story explains a lot… Orso… he was one of Dino's best friends."

Regaining her composure, she told Horatio her own story, even hinting at what happened to her at university – something she had never spoken about to anyone – except her father and Dino. "We went through a very bad patch – both of us needed help to see a way through. Then we began to talk, it's helped so much."

Horatio gave a soft smile, "But just now you thought you'd lost everything…"

Gaby nodded, "The look on Dino's face… he's going to be so worried that I'm upset, we'll be having a chat ourselves later." She paused for a moment becoming thoughtful, "I guess he and Mich are quite similar. It must be very difficult for her to talk about what she's done."

Horatio sighed, "It was – and I barely scratched the surface. Then last night I realized that I didn't really want to know about the past, Mich gets all upset about it and then locks herself away. I know what has hurt her the most – what made her the way she is. It's enough. Now we have to build for the future, I won't let the past hurt her anymore."

Gaby stared at H and began to chuckle, "You sound just like Dino. He's so protective…"

Seeing the wry look on H's face she began to laugh a little more, "You two are alike and not just in looks, though with Mich being who she is…" She sighed, "It's not easy for her is it… To trust someone else."

Horatio shook his head, "No. You, Dino and I have always been part of a team – people we can talk to if necessary. Mich has worked solo for so long, I don't know what helped her to talk to me."

"The horses…"

Horatio was confused, "What? I don't understand."

Gaby smiled, "When you're alone, a horse is your best friend – you can talk to them about anything… They don't suggest or advise, they just listen. I bet there's a horse in your barn that knows every single thing that Mich has done – and how she feels."

Horatio stared at Gaby, but her words hit a nerve, "There is one she seems to be around when she's in a bad mood, she goes off on her own around the farm with him. When she comes back she's a lot better – and she continues talking to me."

Gaby nodded, "Being with that horse helps her to collect her thoughts Horatio, it's a pity you don't speak 'Equus' – he could fill you in…"

Horatio chuckled, "But you've just helped me out – now I know when she needs to talk – Zephyr is the key."

&&**

Unaware of the conversation going on outside, Dino held on to Mich until she began to relax a little, releasing her slightly he dropped a soft kiss onto her forehead smiling at the glint in her eye. "It's nice to see you still have your spirit, but I don't think either of us wants to dip that far into the past…"

Mich chuckled softly before her face became sad, Dino was the only person alive who had seen what she had lived through and the trust that had built between them in that short time was still present. He was quite possibly the only person on the planet she could talk to about Sasha – apart from Horatio. "It's the only pleasant memory I have of that time, so you'll excuse me for hanging on to it I hope. If you need to tell Gaby…"

Dino smiled back, "About our night together? I think she'll understand – we no longer have personal secrets from each other – obviously I couldn't tell her a lot about my Delta work, but with her late father being SAS, she understands. As for you holding onto the memory, of course I don't mind, people like us don't have many happy memories of our work." Leading Mich to the sofa he sat down. "So what does Horatio know?"

Slowly Mich filled him in, Dino noting that she had never spoken to H about her different missions – just the way it had affected her personally. "You've been hard on him Heather… Sorry, Mich."

"I know, but at the time I couldn't help it. Then when he left…"

Dino smiled softy, "Gaby did the same to me – for slightly different reasons and I reacted badly too. Someone helped me to see what had happened – and what I needed to do to fix it."

Mich dropped her head, "That's going to be a long time coming between me and Horatio… Though he has come back to help me, I cannot see how to fix what went wrong – and it's all my fault."

Dino placed an arm gently around Mich's shoulders. "You are fixing it by talking to him – it will work out though it might take the rest of your life. The more you trust him with who you are now…"

Mich interrupted, "But he needs to know more about the past, to know who I WAS. He just doesn't want to talk about it any more."

Dino chuckled softly, "Have you thought that maybe he's not interested in who you were, but who you are? He's asking you to move forwards with your life Mich – and he's offering to be there for you. Leave the past where it is, there will be times when something comes up and you'll have to discuss it with him."

"Don't spoil what you have at the moment – build on it. Let the stories come when they will – don't force them out into the open – that will create more stress for both of you. When Horatio wants to know he'll ask and he'll be more able to deal with it."

Mich gave a wry smile, "I suppose he is a little overloaded with everything he's found out so far… Maybe you're right, he needs time to think about it – to sort things out in his mind. I just hope I can continue to talk about it, it's been so hard…"

As Mich paused, Dino could see the fear on her face and guessed what she had been about to say and felt he needed to provide a little security for her, "He's not going to walk away Mich, no matter how terrible your stories are. I don't think you need to worry about that, Horatio's the type that keeps his promises. He will help you as much as he can and he'll be there when you need him. That's one thing you can be sure of."

Mich gave him a quick hug before standing up to lead the way out onto the terrace, "It's nice to hear someone confirm my own feelings, and you're right of course. Thanks Dino, you've really helped me to see things from his perspective."

As he joined Mich to walk outside Dino chuckled, "Glad I could help… If there's anything I can do…"

Mich smiled, "I think I might be able to manage a little better from here – with Horatio's help, though now I know where you are, don't be surprised if you get a call out of the blue…"

"Anytime, Wolf…"

Mich forced a smile, "Likewise, Dino…"

If Horatio was surprised by the hug Mich gave him when she and Dino walked out onto the terrace, he didn't show it, but he did send a thankful look in Dino's direction. Gaby sighed with relief, understanding that her partner had been able to help and that she had nothing to worry about.

As the four of them sat down to a quick meal that Mich and Gaby prepared together while Dino and Horatio discussed Stacy Keaton's case, they found themselves drawn to each other and knew that the friendship being formed would never go away.

&&**

After Dino and Gaby had left, Mich quietly bade Horatio goodnight and went upstairs, he could hear her moving around, into the bathroom for a short time and then heard her return to the bedroom. For a moment he was torn, should he join her or not? Though she had been quite sociable all evening, something told him that inside Mich was being torn apart, trying to get her thoughts together, the look on her face as she had walked up the stairs…

He took a deep breath and decided to wait for a few minutes, give her time to think things through. When he did finally go upstairs, he was still undecided as to whether to join her for the night, but took a quick glance through the door to make sure Mich was ok. What he saw made him turn cold.

Mich was sitting cross legged on the floor in her room, her back to the door, around her in a semi-circle laid the tools of her trade. In front of her, the rifle she had used to kill the judge, to one side her throwing stars, daggers on the other. Between the daggers and rifle lay her garrotte, for a moment he was confused by the space she had left between the throwing stars and rifle when he realized something was missing – the Katana blades that she had given to Ryan.

As he watched, Mich's head dropped into her hands and he could hear the quiet sobs coming from her. Closing his eyes he sighed, he had known that helping Mich would be hard, but not how hard. Suddenly he had an idea and smiled softly to himself. Quickly he moved around the house selecting a few items before returning to the bedroom and softly closed the door.

Placing the items in a similar semi-circle, he sat down behind Mich wrapping himself around her, saying nothing, just holding her for a moment. At first nothing happened, then he could feel her leaning back into him, hear the crying stop.

"What's wrong? I thought a few words with Dino seemed to help you?"

"They did." Horatio was confused, but said nothing, Mich's tone of voice indicated that she was trying to sort out her emotions. "He made me realize that part of my problem is that…"

Her voice tailed off and she remained quiet. He was just about to say something when a quiet whisper reached his ear, "Who am I Horatio?"

"Who do you think you are?"

Horatio's voice was equally quiet, Mich needed to sort this out for herself but if he could make her see… Her hand reached out and indicated the items around her. "This is who I am…"

The helplessness in her voice made Horatio hug her tightly for a moment, but he smiled to himself. "Which is your favourite?"

Surprised by the question, Mich answered. "The rifle, but after I'd trained, I loved the Katana blades too." The tears began again, "How can I move on with this so much a part of me?"

"You already have Mich… Look again…"

Mich stared around her trying to work out what Horatio was getting at, "I don't understand…"

Horatio chuckled softly, "You've already given your blades away…" He moved to face her, seeing her eyes widen in comprehension, "You see – if you hadn't seriously wanted to move on, the blades would still be in their place."

The myriad of emotions on Mich's face gave Horatio more hope, "Turn around."

Slowly Mich did as she was told, a gasp coming from her mouth when she saw what he had done. Next to the daggers were her ribbons from the state championships… Opposite them, next to the throwing stars was a small Bonsai tree – something that she had become interested in more recently.

Next to the Bonsai and the ribbons was Amber's favourite Teddy Bear and Kyra's most recent photograph. Horatio felt Mich become still in his hands, as if turned to stone. Taking a deep breath, he dropped a soft kiss to her shoulder, felt Mich lean back into him.

"There's something missing…" Mich was staring at the space directly opposite the rifle.

"Not quite."

Standing up, Horatio walked across the room and picked up a small wooden box from her dressing table. As he placed it in the semi circle, he saw the tears sliding down Mich's face once more, though the face was now happier indicating that she was striving to understand what he was trying to express.

Holding out his hand Horatio helped Mich to her feet and gently pulled her out of the circle. "This is who you are Mich…"

"Your past is leaving… The present… You are a coach and trainer, respected for your ability as a rider, to me the Bonsai shows that that you wish to replace death with life… A mother…" Horatio's voice caught in his throat a little, "The mother of my daughter…"

He indicated the small box – inside was Mich's favourite jewellery – a gift he had given her shortly after Amber was born. "This is the woman I love."

Horatio's voice was so quiet Mich could barely hear him, her tears stopped, but she could not say anything for a moment.

"Let me in Mich… Let me protect you from what scares you the most… The one thing that you cannot protect yourself against." Slowly Horatio drew away from her and stood in the centre of the circle, in the palm of his hand rested his Glock, offered to her.

Hesitantly Mich reached out, took the gun out of his hand and rested it in her own staring at it for a few moments. Horatio remained silent, but she knew he was watching her intently, waiting to see what she would do.

Mich dropped to her knees, the Glock sliding from her hand, coming to rest between the box and Kyra's picture. "Help me Horatio… I don't want to be the Wolf anymore… but I'm scared…"

**

Horatio sighed with relief; he had taken a chance that could have ended differently. Mich could have rejected his suggestion, wanted to continue fighting alone – with him just a supportive bystander. Instead she had reached out to him, giving him hope that they could move on together.

Kneeling next to Mich, he gently placed his hand on her cheek, causing her to look at him. He could see the fear of the unknown, but along with it a quiet determination. "Don't be scared sweetheart, I'll be with you, I promise."

Softly he kissed her forehead, happy to see the shy smile that returned. Helping her to her feet, he gave her a smile, "Don't know about you but I'm a little tired. I don't think I can make it to the guest room, might fall asleep in the hallway."

"What are you saying Lieutenant?"

Horatio chuckled at Mich's comment, hearing the playful tone in her voice, glad that his teasing had had a positive effect. "Mind if I stay the night?"

Shyly Mich nodded, before her emotions took over again. Seeing the conflict and fear, Horatio held her tightly, head tucked under his chin. Slowly Mich began to relax and he softened his grip, giving her a kiss on the top of the head as he did so.

Mich returned the kiss with one to his cheek, a little hesitantly. Horatio took advantage, placing a soft kiss on Mich's lips, wondering whether she would react. The night before she had pulled away – would she now let him in – let him help as he had offered? Trust him with her feelings completely?

Mich remained still in his arms, trying to control her feelings, sensing what Horatio was offering but scared to let go. A gentle caress across her shoulders from his fingertips confirmed her thoughts and she was stunned that he could hold himself back, wait for her to choose. Her mind flashed back to the night before – the offer had been made then too, during the storm, but she had been too wound up to notice.

As Mich didn't move, Horatio chanced a little reaching up with one hand and sliding his fingers through the lock of hair that had escaped from the band that she had replaced during her discussion with Dino, before resting it on the side of her face. As she closed her eyes, he felt her lean into the hand slightly, biting her lip at the same time. Still she made no further move.

Softly he caressed her cheek with his thumb and felt her hand move from her side and come to rest on his chest, though she wasn't pushing him away. Horatio took a deep breath, realising then what was happening. For the first time Mich was following his lead – not asking to share, not teasing him, not fighting him or trying to control him. For a moment he hesitated, unsure how to move forward as she allowed him to take total control. Another movement, another response.

He kept things slow and soft, caresses to the shoulders and back resulted in similar responses, though each was more hesitant than his own. Gently he kissed a cheek, rewarded with a soft smile as Mich opened her eyes. He was stunned for a moment when he noticed that they were completely clear… In the past they had always shown that Mich had secrets…

"It's getting late. Early start tomorrow."

Mich nodded and turned for her nightshirt, but Horatio caught her arm. Slowly he caught the shirt she was wearing and began to undo the buttons, each accompanied by a soft kiss. To the forehead, then either cheek… The bridge of her nose… As he undid the last button his lips moved to the line of her jaw, just under her ear.

Mich sighed as the trail of soft kisses did not stop, down her neck, following the line of her shoulder as Horatio pushed the shirt away. As the cloth fell to the floor he stepped behind her, moved the kisses across her shoulder blades to her spine.

Slowly the trail moved upwards until they reached the hairline, pausing only to remove the band in Mich's hair. He smiled, reminded of their first intimate night together. Once again he reached for the hairbrush and chuckled when he saw the soft smile appear on Mich's face in the reflection of the dressing table mirror.

Leaning forward slightly he whispered in her ear, "Nice memories?"

"The best…"

Taking his time, he brushed the knots out of Mich's hair before turning her to face him. "Better?" Mich nodded, suddenly shy of his scrutiny. As she dropped her head, he caught it with his hands and lifted it gently delivering a soft kiss to her lips.

"Can you do me a favour?"

Mich's face became curious, "I'll try."

"Undo my shirt… My hands seem otherwise engaged…"

Mich began to chuckle, her eyes bright with humour, "Oh?"

Horatio moved his right hand to the small of her back, pulling her close, the other hand sliding round to the back of her head to hold her for the kiss to follow. Just before their lips met he heard the murmur of her voice. "I see what you mean…"


	4. Together again

_What would an H and Mich story be without a little passion....?_

_You know the rules.... an M rated chapter which means that if you are under age, don't let me catch you in here....._

_Lucy_

He had meant the kiss to be slow, soft and gentle, but as he felt Mich's hand sliding down his shirt undoing each button, desire took over. Instinctively he knew that Mich would not turn from him but he could not help himself as their kiss deepened. Hands quickly removed jeans before he could regain control of himself. For a moment they stood and stared at each other as if they were complete strangers.

Sliding into bed, Horatio lifted a hand in invitation, "Join me?"

Mich raised an eyebrow, "It's my bed…"

Horatio chuckled, the sound so deep it was almost a growl, "No its not… It's ours…" Smiling, Mich took the hand and was caught by surprise as he pulled her in quickly and rolled her to her back. She was just about to respond to his remark when Horatio renewed his exploration around her body.

Kisses traced along her collar bone to her shoulder as a couple of fingertips slid lazily over soft skin. Mich sighed as Horatio's lips returned to her neck and began to descend. For a moment he paused and moved to Mich's side, leaving his fingers to float softly over her body.

Mich closed her eyes, smiling softly she let Horatio continue. At first his touch had excited the nerves just underneath her skin, but now the gentle massage was making her relax – almost sleepy. She turned slightly and opened her eyes so she could see his face in the soft light from the bedside lamp. "Horatio. I… I'm sorry…"

A finger across her lips prevented her from completing her words, "No need to apologise sweetheart, now I understand… Let's start again, move on…"

Mich bit her lip; she still wanted to tell Horatio more about her past, especially her family. He noticed the glance and chuckled softly, "For someone who was afraid to talk a few weeks ago… Let it go Mich, we have plenty of time to talk."

Reaching out he turned off the light, the movement bringing him in close contact with Mich's body, could smell the scent of the soap she liked to use. He was no longer able to resist his feelings and dropped his lips to hers, releasing his emotions.

Mich could not help but respond, but where in the past she would have teased a little, shared a little, even controlled a little, she let Horatio take over completely. She sensed the smile on his lips as he kissed down the side of her neck, and sighed as the kisses continued down along a collar bone and nuzzled along a breast.

Horatio gave a half smile as Mich shivered beneath him, his lips softly massaging a nipple while his thumb gently did the same to the other. He continued, kissing each of her ribs hearing her breathing deepen and become slower. He paused, debating whether to continue somewhere more intimate and decided not to, wanting to keep things slow, returning to Mich's lips savouring the feel and taste of them.

Rolling onto his back, he pulled Mich with him, holding her lips to his by resting his hand gently on the back of her head, the other hand caressing her spine. He felt one hand come to rest on his chest, a finger toying with the soft curls there, the other hand moving to the side of his head, finger tips gently grasping the hair.

As Mich pulled away slightly his lips tenderly pulled at hers and gently ran his fingernails down her spine. The move caused Mich to arch upwards, changing her position, allowing him to ease himself inside of her. Sliding his hands to her hips, he rocked slowly, feeling Mich move with him, heard the soft moan escape from her throat.

Mich sat a little straighter as Horatio's hands pushed at her hips, feeling him a little deeper inside. Her body shuddered a little, different nerves excited by the change in position. A hand slid around her thigh and gave a gentle tug and Mich smiled, understanding what was being requested.

Slowly she eased one leg at a time from a kneeling to sitting position, thankful for the flexibility she still had. As Horatio pushed himself up to a sitting position, she crossed her legs behind his back just as his lips met hers. The kiss took her breath away with its depth and desire.

Horatio pulled Mich more tightly to him, one arm across her shoulder blades, the other across the small of her back. At the same time he pushed himself more deeply, causing Mich to pull her lips away gasping at the sensations awakened inside. Involuntarily, her muscles tightened against him making him groan softly.

Grasping Mich's hips with both hands, he pulled more forcefully, heard the sharp intake of breath as she reacted to his move. A few more pulls and the whimper that came out of Mich's mouth was the sound he had been waiting for.

Flipping Mich on to her back, Horatio almost chuckled to himself as his toes connected with the bed frame; slowly he used the leverage to drive deeper into her body. As Mich locked her legs behind his thighs in response he felt her shudder beneath him.

Another wave of pleasure coursed through Mich's body, already heading for oblivion, she wasn't sure how she would manage to control this – wasn't sure if she wanted to. Loving with Horatio had always been fulfilling, but today was just a little more special. As he pushed in deeply once more, Mich's eyes snapped open with what she could feel and she pulled his head down to capture his lips with hers.

The fervour in Mich's kiss startled Horatio for a moment, but he responded quickly to the unspoken request. Driving into her body once again the shudder that passed through her body spread to his own and he knew he could hold back no longer. He quickened his movement, hearing Mich cry out softly.

The growl was out of his throat before he knew it, dropping to his elbows and catching Mich under her shoulders, he could feel the tremors building. He buried his head into her shoulder, the change in position helping him to drive in more forcefully than before. He increased the pace once more.

Mich lifted upwards, her body completely out of control, her mind had already lost sense of space and time, all she could feel was Horatio, within and without. Without realising she called out, her arms wrapped around his back, clinging to him, begging him to help her release the emotions still locked inside.

Horatio's lips crashed onto hers, hard, bruising in their passion as he thrust himself as deeply has he could, Mich writhed underneath him almost as if her sub-consciousness was trying to get away from the onslaught. Horatio gritted his teeth, this was a battle he was not going to lose, Mich was his and he was not going to be defeated by past pain, past memories.

Mich could feel the tremors building inside her, scared by their intensity she almost pulled away when she heard Horatio's voice next to her ear, encouraging her to let go. Holding him tightly, she could feel his heart beating through her skin, matching the rhythm of her own. Horatio drove into her again…

As Mich exploded around him Horatio pushed himself to the limit, seeking his own release, his actions increasing her rapture. Without warning he felt himself burst in gratification, crying out at the effort it had taken.

Dropping his forehead to touch hers, Horatio rested a little wearily on his elbows, not wanting to place his weight on Mich and closed his eyes for a moment. A butterfly touching his lips caused him to look at the woman in his arms.

Rolling to his back, he chuckled as he saw the expressions crossing Mich's face, highlighted by the moonlight coming through the window. "That was a little… different... interesting…"

"I think the adjective you're looking for is 'special'."

"Special?"

"In an extraordinary, exceptional kind of way."

Horatio laughed, "Exceptional! You flatter me."

Mich gave a soft smile, "No, I'm just stating the truth. You're a wonderful man Horatio Caine and I'm lucky to be with you, to have you to help me."

Horatio smiled, lifting a hand he gently pushed a lock of hair out of Mich's eye and tucked it behind an ear, "Though I know it won't be easy and we've barely started sweetheart, I happen to believe you're worth it."

A soft kiss prevented Mich from answering and she took the hint, snuggling in close, tucked under his arm, head resting on his shoulder, she began to drift off to sleep. Horatio remained awake for a few moments, his mind making plans for the future, hoping he would be able to use them.


	5. Moving Forward

Horatio slammed the phone back into its cradle swearing to himself. Once again he was under pressure to come up with a solution to a problem. Stacey Keaton had been seen talking to friends that morning at Bicentennial Park and had told them she was happy where she was and not going home.

He didn't know what to do, there was no evidence to suggest that Stacey was being held against her will, she certainly hadn't been kidnapped and from her friends' testimonies was acting normally – though many had admitted that she had never been as happy as this in the past.

A couple of FBI agents had tried to get into the Atalanta Foundation's compound, but been rebuffed immediately, the woman at the door recognising them for what they were. The chief was under pressure from the girl's parents to get her back and as a result Horatio was getting the flak.

"Damn."

Mich looked up from where she was sitting, she had come to meet Horatio for lunch and walked into the office while he was talking on the phone.

"Something wrong?"

"We can't get into the foundation to talk to Stacey Keaton. They won't let us in, and the judge won't give out a warrant without proof that she's in danger."

"What about when she meets up with her friends?"

Horatio shook his head, "We've tried. All she says is that she's happy to be where she is and that she doesn't want to go home. Same story all the time – almost word for word. The last time she threatened to sue the MDPD for harassment."

"So leave her alone Horatio, if it's what she wants. She's happy and from what you've been able to tell me, going back home is not an option for her."

Horatio sighed, "I wish I could Mich, but legally she should be with her parents – she's still under age."

Mich walked across the room and gently began to massage Horatio's shoulders, feeling the knots in the muscles. "And her parents are putting on the pressure. Can't they see for themselves that she's happier where she is?"

Horatio pulled a face, "Her mother has backed off considerably since she saw the video that Stacey's friend took on the weekend, admitted that Stacey looks fine, but the father…" He stopped and shook his head, "Forget it, I promised to take you to lunch and soon it will be too late."

As he led Mich out of the door, she smiled, but inside she felt sad at her inability to help. Helping her with the problems of the past had drained Horatio and this case was not helping his stress level.

&&

Horatio glanced around at his team and sighed. Of the cases that were currently running, most seemed to be waiting on one set of results or another before further progress could be made. However he could see that from the looks on their faces that one case was bothering them all.

"What do we do about Stacey Keaton Horatio? Her father is seen nearly every day on the TV appealing for her to return home and blaming us for not getting her out."

Eric gave Calleigh a soft smile, "Not a lot we can do Cal… we have no proof that she is in trouble so we can't get a warrant and the girl won't speak to us."

As the two of them began a spirited discussion, which soon had Natalia and Ryan joining in, a thought jumped into Horatio's mind.

"Just a moment. Have we collected all the information we need about Stacey?"

Eric turned, "I think so H, we've spoken to friends, family, teachers… We also spoke to people she worked with at the café where she worked on weekends."

"What about her parents?"

Calleigh was confused, "Of course we spoke to them."

Horatio smiled, "But what do we know about them?"

Natalia gasped, "Not a lot… You think we should check them out?"

Horatio nodded and turned for the door, "I do."

&&**

That evening Horatio was surprised to see Dino waiting for him at the house. "Something wrong?"

Dino pulled a face as Horatio offered him a beer, "Gaby's got some crazy idea about how we can help you out. I'm not happy about it, seems a little risky for my liking. Mich said we could wait here for you – she'll soon be in."

Horatio was curious, "What does Gaby want to do?"

A soft voice came from the doorway, "You need someone on the inside Horatio – I'm volunteering."

Gaby glided into the kitchen from the living room, ignoring Dino's muttered comments and sat down in the offered chair. Calmly she looked at Horatio and explained her plan. How she would join the group herself and try to become friends with Stacey and find out what was going on.

As she finished her short explanation Dino paused, he had been pacing around the room as she spoke, highlighting his nervousness. Horatio watched him carefully, noting that the younger man was not happy with Gaby's suggestion.

"Gaby, you haven't done anything like this before. I don't think you should go in. You don't know what you'll find." Dino's concern was evident from the look on his face and Gaby's face showed annoyance in return. Horatio gave a slight smile when he realised that he would have reacted in the same way if Mich had made a similar suggestion.

She was about to reply when another voice, cold and lifeless came from the outside door. "He's right Gaby. You don't know what you are letting yourself in for. Horatio has very little knowledge about the organisation, one wrong move and you could find yourself trapped inside, without any help."

Mich stepped in and Horatio saw how she was concerned for the Argentinian. "Gaby, if this is a cult, you don't have the training to fight against the techniques they might use to draw you in."

Gaby resisted, "I can look after myself Mich."

The older woman gave her a hard look, "Physically, I don't doubt it… But Mentally? Emotionally? That I would challenge you on. You're taking a big risk Gaby – and not only with your own life."

Mich continued softly, "Is it worth risking everything you have? Everything you have worked for?" She placed her hand gently on Dino's shoulder who had sat down at the table opposite Gaby. "Gaby, you have always worked as part of a team, working alone is different – very different."

"Your mind will play tricks on you, your emotions too. When you start to get into trouble, you'll convince yourself that you can handle it, instead of getting out. Before you know it, you'll get caught and then you've had it. No way of getting out, no way of sending the information that the others need."

Gaby remained stubborn, "Did you ever get caught when you worked alone?"

Mich turned to her and spoke quietly, "Almost… and I had the training." She moved to Gaby's side, whispering in her ear. Gaby turned pale making the two men wonder what Mich was saying. After a moment the older woman stood up, "I thought so… Don't risk it Gaby, life's not worth it."

Without saying another word, Mich left the room.

&&

Horatio sighed. Looking out through the window he saw the trailer leaving, taking away another client. In the last couple of weeks Mich had lost two clients, this was the third. Kate and Nicki were becoming worried, Mich's drive and determination seemed to have completely disappeared.

Dino and Gaby had returned to New York the week before, promising to keep in touch. Dino had called a few days later, his voice happy and up-beat, informing Horatio that Gaby was expecting twins.

"How did Mich know? It was what made Gaby back down when she offered to go after Stacey."

Horatio had to admit that he hadn't a clue. He himself had become worried about Mich, her character seemed to have done a complete 180, giving in to Kyra when her eldest had asked to go out with friends one evening. Horatio had been the one to pin the twelve year old to a few rules.

Glancing across to the arena, he saw that Kate was taking the novices lesson and frowned. This was usually Mich's class, they had reached a 'critical' point in their training – the time when many would choose between riding for leisure or for competition. Mich felt great responsibility to her novices, so why was she leaving the class to Kate?

It wasn't that Kate didn't have the ability, but it did show how much Mich had changed. Now quiet and introverted, she talked often about the barn and her thoughts and feelings, but didn't seem worried about the clients she was losing. Training with her own horses had dialled down – Mich saying that she had been pushing a little hard.

In the last competition, Mich had placed 8th with Storm – her lowest placing this season with him. She had shrugged her shoulders, accepting the defeat. It was not like her at all.

Suddenly Horatio realised what was happening, in an effort to rid herself of her alter-ego, Mich was rejecting all character traits that the Wolf possessed. Her quieter, softer side had come to the fore and though Horatio was happy that the anger and frustration had gone, he also didn't like what had replaced it.

&&**

Horatio sighed. He had agreed to exchange the Saturday night shift with the night supervisor whose wife had unexpectedly gone into labour – Mike was now father to a healthy baby boy, though he had decided to make an appearance a month early. It was nearly 5 am and H was looking forward to going home

Crouching down, he looked closely at the thin red line that crossed the victim's neck and turned his head slightly to look at Alexx, who had just arrived. "Ok Alexx, what's your story?"

The ME smiled, "My daughter has a church pageant tonight – early start… Early finish for me…"

Glancing at the victim she raised an eyebrow and gave a wry smile, "Looks like our boy was caught in the act judging by the position of his trousers…"

Horatio grunted not inclined to any kind of humour, making Alexx give him a questioning look. "This was called in by a paramedic a short time ago. Rescue received a call from a woman asking for help. When they arrived, they found a prostitute that had probably taken a hit from something dirty – and our friend here lying just five metres away."

Alexx frowned, "You think the two are connected?"

"Quite possibly Alexx, one of the night staff is processing the girl right now – she looks like she's been in a struggle. Unfortunately she might not make it due to the drug cocktail she has in her system."

Alexx shook her head and crouched down by Horatio's side to begin her preliminary examination. Wide eyed, she turned to look at him, "How long ago did the call from the woman come in?"

"About 40 minutes ago, why?"

"Because his body is still warm Horatio, he hasn't been dead that long. Could the prostitute have done this?"

Horatio shook his head, "She could barely lift her head when the paramedics arrived, she was in a coma when I got here."

Alexx looked around nervously, "Then who…?"

Horatio grimaced, "The victim is a known pimp and dealer, I'm thinking it could be gang related…"

&&

Horatio arrived home just after eight and headed for the barn, looking for Mich. He was surprised to see that she wasn't there, but could hear Kate talking to Nicki and walked further in to say hi. Asking where Mich was, he turned cold when Kate answered.

"She went for a ride on Zephyr. Said she wanted to check the ground before our show next week."

Thanking Kate, Horatio left and began making his way up the hill. If Mich had gone for a ride with Zephyr, there was one place where she would end up – if she wasn't there already. Reaching the top of the hill, he sat down to wait.

He didn't have to wait long, within ten minutes, he saw Mich cantering the big grey horse slowly up the hill towards him, a soft smile on her face. For a moment he thought maybe his concern was unfounded, but when she came closer, he could see the look in her eyes.

"How was your shift?" Mich dismounted as she asked the question, slapping Zephyr on the rump to send him down the hill to Nicki who was waiting at the gate.

"Usual Saturday… Couple of shootings, several new cases… You ok?"

Mich shook her head, "I didn't sleep at all well, kept waking up…"

Horatio pulled her close for a hug, hearing and feeling the sigh, "Nightmare?"

Mich nodded, "A weird one… Normally I see faces… I see Sasha… This time I didn't, I could just feel the knife in my hand. I woke up sweating, but feeling ice cold… That's never happened before."

Horatio sighed, "It's a pity you have a busy day, we could go off somewhere…"

Mich looked at him from under her eyebrows, "Kate is taking my classes today, I need a break. It's a great idea, but you need to sleep first Horatio – you look shattered."

Horatio frowned and allowed Mich to lead him down the hill towards the house. Mich had not taken a class in over a week and only ridden her horses for general exercise rather than training for her next competition which was only two weeks away. It was definitely not like her.

&&**

Horatio stirred and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was just after 1pm meaning that he had managed roughly five hours sleep. He was tempted to stay put and try and doze off again, but two things crossed his mind.

Firstly, if he did sleep now, he wouldn't be able to sleep during the night and be tired for his own shift the next day. Secondly, he had some unfinished business with Mich.

Walking downstairs, he smiled as he heard the music playing on Mich's PC. Nicky's partner Mike was a genius with electronics and had connected her dolby surround system to the computer – the result, instant access to Mich's selection of music. Mike had told him that Mich had enough music to last continuously for about 10 days before it would start repeating itself.

Judging by the music – a mix of rock ballads, Shania Twain and Bryan Adams, Mich was in a good mood – though a quiet one. Walking into the kitchen he paused for a moment, while he had rested, Mich had been busy. A picnic basket was sitting on top of the table and was already brim full of food.

He frowned slightly, Mich was obviously going to take him up on his offer of going off somewhere. Her lack of interest in teaching at the barn worried him and he needed to sort this out – fast. Walking up quietly behind her, he slid his hands slowly around her waist, hearing the soft chuckle at his action.

Mich turned and softly kissed his cheek, "so, is this a picnic basket for two, or are we taking the girls?"

Horatio smiled, hiding his confusion at her complete change in character, "Well, I think they'd get upset if we didn't take them…"

"Good, we haven't had a chance to go out together in ages." Mich paused, her face falling slightly "Somewhere quiet?"

Horatio sighed a little, almost relieved that Mich had picked up on the fact he needed to talk to her about something. "I think that would be great. Let's see, where shall we go?"

The next moment, a whirlwind flew into the kitchen talking excitedly, followed by a slightly unsteady toddler. Horatio raised an eyebrow as Mich began chuckling, "I already told them we were going to the beach…"

Horatio smiled, "Well then, let's get going."

&&

A short time later, they were unpacking the picnic blanket and Amber's toys as Kyra pulled off her sundress and headed for the water, acknowledging Horatio's request to stay within the buoys marking the safe swimming area.

South Virginia Key beach was not far to travel, but quiet and secluded. For Horatio, it was a place where he could almost forget what he did from day to day. Mich also loved the peace and quiet, broken only by the sounds of birds from the nearby sanctuary, or the occasional walker following the nearby trail.

Making sure that Amber was well covered with sunblock, she impishly turned to Horatio. "Your turn? Or can you manage yourself?"

Horatio chuckled to hide his further confusion at Mich's change of character. "What about Kyra?"

Mich raised her eyes heavenward, "She was slapping the lotion on while you were driving… Doesn't want to miss a moment of the time we are here."

Horatio laughed, "Take it in turns? You first…"

Mich shook her head, "Oh no… You're the one who burns fastest, I'm not having you grumbling all night because you look like lobster thermadore."

Horatio grinned, "Ok. You go ahead, just don't go running for the water as soon as you're done."

Mich was finished quickly, Horatio smiling as she paid extra attention to his back and shoulders. Mich might have used the excuse that he would burn, but the smoothing on of lotion had turned into a short soft relaxing massage.

As Horatio returned the favour, he too extended the attention paid to shoulders and back – after all, what was good for him was also good for Mich – right? Hearing her sigh softly, he smiled to himself, almost wishing he didn't have to ask the question.

Lying down on his back next to his partner, one eye on Amber who was playing just a metre or so away, he glanced at Mich. "Ok… So you want to tell me what's going on?"

&&**

"What are you talking about Horatio?"

The expression on Mich's face showed that she was genuinely surprised by his question, which confused Horatio even more. Slowly he explained what he had seen… The lack of interest in training, taking a break from teaching. Finishing lower than expected in the recent competition.

"It's just not you Mich. Are you ok?"

Mich answered him softly, a shy look crossing her face. "I've never been better Horatio."

"Then why the sudden change? Rejecting all the Wolf's traits completely is going to cause problems for you."

Mich sighed, "I have to Horatio. I have to re-build myself."

Seeing Horatio's confusion at her words Mich dropped her head. "When you were at the hospital, I mentioned that I needed time to think… To sort myself out."

"When you arrived back at the barn, I found myself without anytime at all… Training, teaching, watching the kids… Trying to keep my temper, to keep my promise to you was made so much harder because of the pressure I was under with the competition due. I had to train myself, and several students."

"After the competition, I realised that the only way that I would have time to think would be to have a short break…"

Horatio nodded his understanding, "but why didn't you say anything? I couldn't work it out."

Mich gave a soft smile, "I thought you realised… I'm sorry if I've worried you."

Horatio smiled back, "At first I was just curious, but then when the clients started leaving…"

Mich chuckled softly, "But you suggested it… You suggested I got rid of the hangers on. When I asked Kate to take over my lessons for a while, those three started to complain immediately."

Horatio stared at her, "But they were big payers Mich… Big earners for you."

"They were also the most arrogant, unappreciative and difficult clients I've ever had. I had to give them one-to-one lessons cause no one wanted to share with them… I was wasting at least nine hours a week just in arena time… Then all the complaints and grumbles on top."

"With them out of the way, I now have nine hours free for new clients… For training horses, riding myself. The stress has gone down so much. The atmosphere in the barn has changed, the other clients are happier too. A couple have even booked extra training time because they know I have the space now."

Horatio was curious, "But your other clients, aren't they wondering what is going on?"

Mich laughed, "Not at all… You know I've been doing this online coaching theory course?" Horatio nodded. "I just told them that I was a little behind and needed to catch up. It's actually the truth – now I'm a few weeks ahead. I'm going to start taking my classes back next week."

"But you stopped training yourself too Mich and you have a competition in a couple of weeks."

The humour in Mich's eyes caused Horatio to hesitate as she answered softly, "I've withdrawn from that competition Horatio. It's not going to affect my points for the state championship – I can drop my three lowest scores through the season. I would rather sort myself out first, try and get rid of the stress which fuels my anger. The championship is not going to run away – if I lose this year, it doesn't matter, there's always next year."

Seeing the look of stunned amazement on his face, Mich shyly dropped her head. "Horatio, over the last couple of weeks I've had the space and time to think and I've realised that although the Barn is my livelihood and I need to make some sacrifices to keep it successful, it is not the most important thing in my life."

Slowly Mich eased herself from the sitting position she had been in, lying on her side looking directly at Horatio. "I won't say my priorities have changed, because they haven't… Let me say they have been… adjusted. As much as I want to reach the top of my profession – and I'm willing to make sacrifices because of it, without the girls and without you… I have nothing."

Horatio stared back at Mich not knowing what to say at first, but as he opened his mouth to speak, she placed a finger on his lips. "It will take me time to adjust and I know that sometimes I might not cope very well with it, but please believe me when I say that I really want to do this… I really want to try and find a balance between work and family… and you."

Horatio finally found his voice and softly acknowledged Mich's decision. "Sounds to me like you've taken another step Mich." Sliding his hand through the lock of hair that had as usual escaped its band, he tucked it behind her ear giving a soft smile, "and it looks like I'm going to need some help."

Mich gave him a startled look which became a little dismayed, "Oh?"

"I have a few things at my condo which will need to be moved into the house at the barn."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I don't think I'm going to be leaving…"

As his words began to sink in, he noticed a tear sliding down Mich's face as she realised what he meant. As she tucked herself in close he smiled as the soft words reached him. "I love you Horatio Caine."

Leaning back with his head on the sand one eye on his daughter, arm tucked around the waist of his partner, relaxing on a beautiful beach, Horatio decided that life at that moment could not possibly get any better.

&&**

Horatio walked into Alexx's lab, a puzzled expression on his face. The call he had received from the ME while he followed up a lead had tweaked his curiosity. She was carefully sponging down a body on the table and he noted that she had two others judging by the covered forms further into the room.

Glancing down, recognition crossed his face, "Is this our DB from Saturday night? Did you find something?"

Alexx looked up and gave a soft smile, noting how relaxed the CSI boss was that morning, "Good morning to you to Horatio, did you have a good day off?"

Horatio blushed slightly and gave a soft smile, "Mich and I took the girls to the beach…"

Straightening up, the ME grinned, "Was about time you two switched off." Her voice softened slightly, "How's Mich doing?"

Horatio's smile widened, "Better… The nightmares are going away, she's more relaxed, hasn't lost her temper in weeks…"

"But you're still worried."

Horatio sighed, his voice dropping slightly, "She's completely rejected certain parts of her character… I don't know if it's the right way to go… I'm worried that…"

Alexx interrupted, understanding his concern, "You're worried that something might happen for those negative traits to be triggered and come back even stronger." H nodded before Alexx continued, "Horatio, knowing you are there for her has given Mich the confidence to take this path – it may seem drastic – but it's like a junkie going cold turkey."

"It is the hardest way, but if it works – it will mean that though aspects of her character may return, she will always be able to control it."

"and if it doesn't?"

Alexx's head dropped, "Then you'll have to decide if you still want to be part of her life – and she yours."

H fell silent for a moment, pondering Alexx's words before returning to the subject at hand. "So tell me about our DB."

Alexx stood up from her chair, "This is larger than we thought." Moving to the second table she folded back the cover, "This is the DB that Calleigh and I were called to this morning – time of death, approximately 3.30 am."

She moved to the third table, "This was left to me by our night shift colleague – apparently he had a drive by shooting to sort out and asked me to do this one." She remained silent as H looked closely at the third body.

"Time of death?"

"Approximately 12.30 this morning."

Horatio looked up, his eyes narrowing. "We have three DB's all killed between midnight and 5am on a Saturday and Sunday night."

Alexx finished his thoughts, "All within the same area of the city and all with their throats cut in the same manner. I need to investigate further, but judging by what I can see, all with the same or a similar blade. Still think this is a gang fight?"

Horatio frowned, "Either a turf war, or serial killer. Possibly a vigilante. Thanks Alexx, I think I'll go have a chat with Frank."

Walking into his part of the lab with yet another puzzling case on his mind, Mich's change of character still worried him a little – he was still getting used to the 'new' Mich – as did the Stacey Keaton case. His team had researched her parents carefully and apart from finding out that Carl Keaton was not her biological father, they could find nothing suspicious. Horatio knew he was missing something – but could not work out what it was.

Stepping out of the lift, he was grabbed by Ryan. The young CSI had a wild look in his eyes that made Horatio curious. "What's up Mr Wolfe?"

"You have a visitor H, well… actually two… They're waiting in your office."

Horatio nodded his head and continued down the corridor. When he arrived at the door he could see what had caused Ryan to be so perturbed. Sitting across from his desk were two teenagers. One, looking scared and a little nervous hiding her face, the other with a big welcoming smile.

"Kyra? Why are you here sweetheart? You should be at school."

The young teen jumped up to give him a big hug, "I brought my friend along to speak to you – I told her you could help."

Horatio was bemused, "Help with what?"

The older teen moved her hand from her face, "Kyra has been saying for the last week that I can talk to you Lieutenant Caine. Can you help me?"

Horatio sank slowly into his chair as he finally came face to face with Stacey Keaton.

&&**

Horatio slowly removed his sunglasses and put them down on his desk, looking at the two girls facing him. Kyra, initially upbeat at his entrance was now looking a little concerned at Horatio's hesitation.

"I would like to help you Stacey, but I don't know what the problem is."

The teenager opened her mouth to speak, but Horatio raised his hand to stop her. "Technically, I should contact your parents, because you are a minor – and I am not allowed to interview you without the presence of a parent or guardian."

Seeing her face turn pale and a touch of anger in her eyes directed at Kyra, Horatio continued, "However, there may be another way – I just need to make sure of the legal proceedings – then I can give you all the help you need."

A look of relief crossed Stacey's face and she caught hold of Kyra's hand. Horatio was surprised at the dependence the older teen seemed to have on the younger considering the stories he had heard from her other friends.

"Maybe I can help…"

Glancing toward the door Horatio raised an eyebrow when he saw Mich leaning against the frame. Kyra swallowed, knowing that she was probably heading for trouble, but as Mich came into his office, Horatio could see that while she was annoyed with Kyra for missing school, she was also prepared to hear her daughter out.

Leaning back in his chair, Horatio gave a half smile, knowing that there was something going on in Mich's head. The two girls looked up – a curious expression on their faces. Kyra was the first to speak.

"What do you mean mum?"

Mich smiled softly. "Horatio cannot talk to Stacey without her parents present, unless he has a reason to exclude them. At the moment he doesn't have that reason… So Kyra, I am giving my permission for him to interview you in my presence…"

The girls' eyes opened wide as they realised where Mich was heading, giving Horatio a quick glance she smiled, "Though I would like a lawyer present, just to be sure that the Lieutenant doesn't overstep the mark." Turning to Horatio she gave him a wink, "Do you think the Duke would be available at short notice?"

Horatio began to chuckle and picked up his phone, watched by a very bemused pair of teenagers.

&&

Kendall Duquesne was a man who admitted he'd had his problems, most of them coincided with the times when he hit the bottle. However, over the last few years he had managed to conquer the worst of his troubles and any time he started to slide, Calleigh would be on his case immediately. The result – the 'Duke' was holding a solid job with the DA's office – and always available to help out the Crime Lab.

As he walked into the small interview room, he was a little bemused to see Horatio sitting opposite Mich and Kyra, an older teenager sitting to one side.

"Ok Horatio, I'm all ears on this one, Calleigh said it was a little complex…"

Horatio filled him in on the situation quickly, "So you see, if we discover that there may be a case to answer from the information that we get from Kyra – you'll be able to guide me through the necessary legal procedure."

The Duke chuckled, "and Miss Keaton will have all the help I can give her."

Horatio waited while the attorney got settled and then looked at Kyra carefully. "Ok sweetie, I'm going to ask you questions, step by step, just answer them as well as you can."

Kyra nodded, looking a little nervously at her mum. She had been in the PD once or twice and seen H interviewing suspects, and was now in that position herself.

Mich gave her a soft smile and gently took her hand, "Why don't you tell us how you know Stacey – you don't normally hang out together."

Kyra relaxed slightly, "I met Stacey at my Saturday club about a month ago."

"Saturday club?"

The young teen chuckled, "When mum and I first moved to Miami, I found it really difficult to talk to anyone, to make friends. Mum suggested that I talk to the school counsellor. She introduced me to a discussion group where I began to make friends."

"The discussion group was great – there were only about eight of us and slowly we were able to talk about general things – trouble with schoolwork, that kind of thing. After a while, as we got to know each other better we began to talk about other things."

"Donna's parents were always fighting – it really got her down… I felt I was lucky, I've always been able to talk to mum. When the holidays came, the whole group said we would like to meet up every couple of weeks, we'd been able to help each other."

"Our counsellor suggested that we could find a suitable place and meet, but she wouldn't be able to join us because of her commitments elsewhere. We had decided on the park, but then Horatio had those cases where girls were being beaten up and we became scared. That was when our counsellor suggested the Foundation where she worked."

Horatio interrupted, "The Foundation?"

Kyra nodded, "The Atalanta Foundation – that's where I met Stacey."

&&**

Horatio sat back in his chair stunned by Kyra's words, looking at Mich he saw that she was just as surprised. Nodding towards the door, he excused himself and Mich for a moment, and the two of them stepped outside.

"I'm sorry Horatio, I didn't know Kyra was meeting her friends at the foundation. Donna's mum told me that the place was a retreat, she uses it herself when she needs to speak to someone – to get away from the stress of the real world..."

"She never mentioned the name?'

Mich shook her head, "and I never connected the two – she told me the girls would be safe, men are not allowed inside, most of the women who live there have been victims of spousal abuse. I took her word for it, Kyra loves going, the group meet and talk – do activities together…"

Horatio sighed, "All the time I needed to get information about the organisation – and it was right in front of me."

Mich became concerned, "I'm sorry Horatio, I didn't connect the dots, this case could have been over so much more quickly for you."

He gave her a soft smile, "It's not your fault sweetheart – you weren't to know that Kyra was going to the Foundation with her club every Saturday – usually Donna's mum came for her. Have you ever been there?"

"No, but Kyra's been saying I should go – she says I would love the gardens they have there, relax, read a book, do some stitching…"

Horatio began to chuckle, "Like you have the time…" He became thoughtful for a moment, "You know, Kyra's story confirms that Stacey has not been held against her will…"

Mich nodded, "So not trapped by a cult as her father says – which means that there is a deeper reason why she turned to the Foundation for help."

"Then let's dig a little deeper shall we." As he was about to turn back into the room, Horatio paused, "You know Mich, if you ever need to talk to someone else…"

Mich smiled softly, "Why would I go to the foundation when I have the perfect counsellor at home?" Giving Horatio a nudge, they returned to the room.

&&

The smile on her mum's face told Kyra that she had nothing to worry about, but she realised that she hadn't yet given Horatio any information he could use to help Stacey.

As he sat down, Kyra took a deep breath and began talking again. "One day when we were meeting, Donna got really upset – her parents had been fighting again and this time it was more serious. Donna saw her dad tell her mum to leave and not come back."

"Donna adores her dad – he's a really nice guy, but she couldn't understand why he was sending her mum away. She was telling us about it when Stacey walked by."

"She was surprised to see a group of us there and asked if she could join us, especially 'cause there was no-one of her own age at the foundation. She told us that her mom and dad had split up and that her dad had re-married. She stayed with them for a while, but couldn't get on with her step-mom so she came to live in Miami with her mum."

"A few months later, her mum met a really nice guy and re-married too, but after they were married he changed. Stacey told us that she left home because she was afraid."

Horatio asked Kyra to stop, seeing the look on Stacey's face. The older teen had become pale and he realised that she had only told Kyra part of the story. He turned to Stacey and spoke softly, "Were you afraid that he was going to hurt you Stacey?"

She nodded her answer and gave a worried look towards Kyra, confirming Horatio's thoughts that the younger girl only knew a little, "Kyra, why don't you step outside for a moment and wait for your mum in my office."

Turning to Duke, Horatio raised an eyebrow, "Any problems if we talk to Stacey now? Mich can stay to help."

Kendall smiled, "We're a little close to the line Horatio, but I'm happy with the way things are going so far – I'll stop you if I think we're getting into a difficult area."

With Kyra out of the way, Stacey became a little more agitated until Mich gently took her hand, quietly she asked the question she knew Horatio wished to ask. "Why did you think he was going to hurt you?"

"Because he hurts my mum." Fear began to show on the young girls face and a tear slowly trickled down her cheek. "He says horrible things to make her cry, says she's a bad mother to me."

"Has he ever hurt you Stacey?"

The girl shook her head, but a strange look crossed her face, which all three adults noticed as she continued talking. "He was always really nice to me. He bought me presents, took me out for dinner with my friends and alone… He told me I was his 'special girl'; we used to spend a lot of time together. At first I thought it was ok, but then…"

She paused, "One evening I brought a guy home. He was only a friend, and we were helping each other with a project at school. Dad went crazy, said that he couldn't come around any more, said that I wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend. He really scared me, made me promise never to date anyone."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"He was so angry, I was afraid he would find out, so I stayed quiet."

Horatio glanced at Duke who nodded, giving Horatio permission to continue, "Is that why you left home Stacey?"

The young girl shook her head and Horatio could see that she was getting upset, throwing a quick glance towards Mich he could see that she was becoming a little angry, but keeping it under control for Stacey's sake. Taking a deep breath, Stacey tightened her grip on Mich's hand, "I left… because… I'm going to have a baby…"

&&**

Horatio took a long sip of his coffee, Kendall Duquesne matching him. The two of them had stepped out of the interview room to talk, leaving Mich with the teenager. Teenage pregnancy was nothing new to either man, but Horatio was not convinced that Stacey was telling them the complete truth.

"What do you think?"

Duke pulled a face, "I can say that she has a reason for not wanting her parents to know that she's here Horatio, but as yet, there is nothing that can stop me from sending her home to be with them."

"Certainly her step father has caused her to become fearful – especially due to the emotional abuse inflicted on her mother, but…"

"Apart from giving her a good telling off and a warning, he hasn't touched her." Horatio sighed, "I don't get it, I still think there's more than meets the eye here, but I can't see it."

"Maybe it's because you don't have the full story Horatio."

Mich walked into the break room and Horatio could see she was fighting hard to control her emotions, "Where's Stacey?"

"In your office with Kyra, being watched carefully by Paula." Mich's tone of voice was hard, but as he watched, she began to calm herself. "Bring in this man Horatio, then lock him up and throw away the key…"

Kendall was mystified, "What did she tell you Mich?"

Mich swallowed and answered slowly, keeping a tight rein on her anger. "When she told us how 'nice' her step-father was, she didn't go into details… Nor did she tell us why he gave her lots of presents…"

Taking a deep breath, she told the two men what she had been able to find out. "It seems that he married her mother to gain access to Stacey… She claims he's the father of her baby…"

Kendall grimaced, "If she's telling the truth, I'll throw away the key myself… After I've thrown a few 'gators in with him for company." He left quietly to find a desk where he would make a few calls.

Horatio's face was impassive, though his eyes had turned steel grey in anger. Opening his cell, he called Eric and Natalia who had been following a lead on another case. "You guys done? Good. On your way back, pick up Mr and Mrs Keaton would you, tell them we have some news about their daughter…"

Fighting his anger, he caught hold of Mich, drawing her close when he could feel her shaking with her own rage and marvelled at how she was fighting it. "Thank you for your help sweetheart."

Mich sighed, Horatio's words calming her further, "I'm glad I could Horatio, what's going to happen now?"

Horatio's head dropped, "Now we get Stacey checked out properly, make sure that her claims are true and if they are… Duke and I are going to bring the full weight of the law on this man. He's going to recommend that she receives counselling along with her mother – if her mother knows nothing, we'll find that out in due course."

"I'd like you and Kyra to leave as soon as you can, so neither parent sees you."

Mich nodded, "I need to have a word with our young lady…" Seeing Horatio's concerned look, she chuckled softly, the last of her anger dying away, "She will find out that missing school is not acceptable – no matter what the reason. So she'll be grounded for the rest of the week – though I think tonight, I might just be cooking up some lasagne…"

It was Horatio's turn to chuckle, Mich's lasagne was one of Kyra's favourites and he was sure the message would get through. Truth be said, at the mention of lasagne, he was going to make sure he was home on time too.

Mich caught his eye, a cheeky grin on her face, "I thought that might cheer you up a little."

Horatio smiled back, "Just a little, you know, I might just bring something home myself."

"Oh? Care to share?"

"Nope, You'll have to wait and see… A special treat for my girls."

Escorting Mich and Kyra to the lift, Horatio gave them a happy goodbye, before returning to his office, planning on how he could make his move to catch Carl Keaton unawares.

&&**

Horatio sighed as he turned off the ignition of his car. Leaning back in the chair he noted the time – a little after 10 pm. So much for being home on time and he hadn't managed to get anything either…

As he walked into the house, he could hear some music playing softly, but knew that both Amber and Kyra would be in bed. As he was debating whether to grab a drink before going to find Mich, she walked into the kitchen, a sad look in her eyes.

He rejected the drink immediately to give her a hug, "Sorry I'm late, I know I said I would be home earlier…"

Mich held him tightly, "It's ok… I thought Stacey's dad was giving you some trouble when Eric called Kate to say he would be late."

"I should have called you."

"And stop in the middle of an interrogation? You would have lost any advantage you had by giving him space to think." She pulled away slightly looking intently at his face, "Did you at least manage to nail him?"

Horatio gave a tired smile, "Eventually – but he's currently under arrest and being charged with abusing Stacey's mother. Until the DNA results are in, we cannot charge him with anything related to Stacey."

Mich nodded her understanding, "He said, she said… Does he know that Stacey is pregnant?"

"Yes. His reaction was that of a concerned and slightly angry father…"

"Wow, he's really covering his tracks and being careful."

Horatio nodded, "That's why we had to get something from her mum, nothing concrete to hold him. However, when we told her what we knew and what Stacey had told us, she admitted to being suspicious about his relationship with Stacey – but never actually saw or heard anything."

"She never came forward before because she was too afraid. Mind you, she's now talking all sorts of dire actions, the least of which is divorce…"

Mich chuckled, "and Stacey?"

"Is going to stay at the foundation for now, until her dad is put away, she's afraid to return home. Her mother is going to visit her there and Duke will be meeting her at his office when they need to discuss things."

"A satisfactory ending to the case…"

Horatio nodded, "Except for the fact I'm home later than I wanted to be."

Mich raised her hand to his cheek, "There are times when duty comes first Horatio, but don't worry, I didn't let the girls eat all the lasagne, there's still some left for you.

Giving him a soft kiss, she turned away to get the pasta out of the oven where it was being kept warm. Horatio took off his jacket and sat down slowly, a soft smile on his face. Only a couple of months ago, Mich would have given him hell for being home late, but her emotions this evening and the way she had controlled her anger that afternoon had shown that her life as the Lone Wolf was firmly where it belonged – in the past.


	6. Doubts

Frank sighed. A recent request from Horatio had initially seemed innocent enough, but the result was a pile of files on his desk that needed to be checked out very carefully. Each was a gang related, drug or prostitute related murder over the last six months and all were unsolved murders, it had taken over a week to go through them and he was glad it was a Friday.

Slowly he began to build a picture of the murders, the main thing the three recent bodies in Alexx's morgue had in common was the MO, so Frank looked for similar cases, and found three others. Checking photographs, he noted that of the three, two were different, but the third – and most recent - was almost identical.

The other thing that the murders had in common was lack of evidence at the crime scene – especially a missing murder weapon. Cross checking, he found eight more. Of those eight, five had been given a TOD of between midnight and 5am on a Saturday or Sunday night.

Further checking revealed that the victims belonged to four different gangs, all of whom had overlapping territories. Digging a little deeper he found two more possibilities, but didn't think they were connected – for one thing these victims were from different gangs – well away from the other four.

Making a quick call, he went to the layout room where he could show the results of his search to Horatio.

&&

"What do you have for me Frank?"

The tall Texan looked up his expression giving away his slight frustration. "I've found six other similar cases for you Horatio, the oldest is from about two months back. All nine victims were members of four gangs operating in a particular area. All had almost no evidence at the crime scene, though the MO's are slightly different."

"As I dug deeper, I found they had more in common. All are known to be in the middle or upper echelons of their particular gang, and all have done time for drugs. The fact that they have been taken off the streets has had quite an impact on drug sales in those areas."

Horatio frowned, his mind processing the information. Just at that moment Calleigh walked in carrying two small tubes, both of which held a bullet.

"I checked the cases that you asked about Frank… Unfortunately, the three members shot with the nine mil were through and throughs – we never were able to identify the weapon used - the bullets were too badly damaged and the casings not found, but the two .303 bullets were also in the lock up – and they match each other."

Glancing at the layout table, Calleigh's eyes opened wide, "You only asked me about five cases Frank – not nine!"

Horatio explained what Frank had been looking for and the blonde CSI became more thoughtful. Quickly she began to glance through the files on the table, re-organising them by location. The three most recent victims had all been members of the same gang, killed only a few blocks from each other.

The fourth knife victim – that Frank had found – was also nearby, but from the tattoo on his left shoulder blade was identified as being from a different gang. However two of the nine mil victims also had the same tattoo and a similar location.

The other nine mil victim and one of the .303 victims were also from a gang working in a third location. The final .303 victim was from the fourth gang – and Russian. Moving to the A/V lab, the three of them began to plot out the locations around the city.

Adding the dates of the murders showed that the Russian had been killed first, followed by the other .303 murder, then the nine mil killings and finally the knife victims and with Frank's knowledge of the gangs they were also able to plot out the gang territories.

When they were done Frank's eyes narrowed and he turned to Horatio. "This looks a little familiar."

Calleigh pulled a face, "Each of these killings is linked together – either by the MO, or the gang membership, the killer also seems to be escalating."

H looked closely at the map and nodded, "Something else they have in common - these four gangs moved in and took over areas that formerly belonged to the Mala Noche."

Calleigh pulled a face, "I thought we got rid of them?"

Her boss spoke quietly, "We did Calleigh, every last one of them, now what is happening here is either someone is trying to create a turf war and stirring up trouble – or – there is someone new in town that wants the whole area for themselves and is paying someone to get rid of key people in each gang to do so."

Frank sighed, "I can think of a third Horatio… Remember that case we had a couple of years ago… When some CIA agent came down and took out the top people in Ramon Cruz's organisation… We never did solve that one before we got told to butt out…"

Calleigh flashed a startled glance towards Horatio. "Well you know how the Agency is Frank… Listen, do you have any contacts down there who might be able to give us some more information?"

Frank shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure, but I can dig around a little…" The Texan turned and walked away to his desk, not noticing the look of despair on Horatio's face.

&&**

"Horatio?"

H lifted his head, for almost a minute he had stood almost motionless, head down, the fingers of his right hand pinching the bridge of his nose, he gave Calleigh a sideways glance. "What?"

"Could Frank be right? Could Mich be working again?"

Horatio sighed, only the four longer serving CSI's knew that Mich had been the cause of the deaths in the two year old Cartel case – Frank had been told the Agency had been running an operation and Alexx only knew that the case was cold. Even Natalia didn't know what was going on.

Calleigh continued talking, oblivious to the pain in Horatio's eyes. "I mean… I know she said that the Cartel job was her last mission – but is it possible she was recalled?"

Horatio gave her a steady look, "Her control officer destroyed her file Calleigh – no-one knows for sure where Mich is… She told me herself she doesn't want to go back to that way of life – it's not fair on the girls."

Calleigh's eyes narrowed, Horatio was talking a good argument, but the look in his eyes told her a different story.

"But…"

"She has had problems in the past…"

Calleigh sighed, "But I thought you two had sorted a lot of things out, Eric said that Kate told him Mich is so much happier these days…"

"Discussing my private life now CSI Duquesne….?"

Calleigh blushed, "We just care Horatio, I've seen how down Mich can get sometimes when I've been to the barn – and I've seen how she tries to hide it. You've always been there for Eric and I when we've needed help – is it now so surprising that we care about you too?"

Horatio sighed, his team were not just colleagues, but friends – family almost and Calleigh was right. Taking a deep breath he told her what he had learnt from Derek about Mich's visits to the streets of London after a failed mission.

"She promised me Cal… Promised that she wouldn't do it ever again…"

Calleigh swallowed, "Do you believe her?"

"I want to… There are things from her past that she hasn't told me about yet, but when she has promised me something directly, she has never broken her word…"

The ballistics expert picked up the tubed casings that were lying on the Av table. "You know, I can check these against Mich's .303 – the one that killed judge Ratner…"

Horatio closed his eyes in pain, asking Calleigh to run the ballistics check would mean that he didn't believe that Mich was telling the truth, but it was his job, his duty…

He nodded his answer and turned to leave the room, pausing at the door he turned to look at her, "I want you and Eric to deal with this case – no-one else, not even Ryan…" The blonde CSI nodded and waved him away, "If any one wants me, I'll be mobile… and Cal… Thanks."

Calleigh sighed, her head dropping. After a moment she turned and began to look more closely at the files Frank had collected. The similarities to the Cartel case were clear – lack of evidence, the link between victims… Frowning, she collected the files together at took them with her back to the ballistics lab where she went hunting for a .303 bullet from a two year old case…

&&

Horatio drove slowly, not really thinking about where he was going, the route automatic in his mind. As he drove, his memory flashed back over the last few weeks going over and over the conversations he had had with Mich.

She had said on several occasions that she wanted to move on… She had said that she wanted to leave her former life behind… She had promised him that she would no longer let her anger control her and that she would not return to the streets to punish herself for Sasha's death…

He had believed her, still wanted to believe her, but was she still hiding from him?

&&**

Mich chuckled, the group she was working with had been teasing her about her recent break from training and teaching. One of her students had joked that Mich had only withdrawn from the next competition to give the other competitors a chance to catch up.

As they quietly walked their horses around to cool them off before returning them to the stables, she heard the sound of a vehicle turning into the yard. Turning, she was surprised to see the silver-grey Hummer slowing to a halt next to the sand arena.

Mich opened the gate and indicated to her students that they could return their horses to the stables. Walking over to Horatio she gave a soft smile as he stepped out, "I didn't know you were coming home for lunch."

Horatio sighed, "This isn't a social call sweetheart, do you have a minute?"

"Of course – I was just about to have a break – join me?"

Horatio dropped his head, "We need to talk."

Mich was startled by his sombre tone and followed him quietly to the house where Horatio leant up against the kitchen table. Standing in front of him she lifted her hand to his cheek, a concerned look crossing her face, "Horatio…"

He pushed her hand away, there was no easy way to do this, "I need to ask you something, and I need the truth Mich…" She straightened up puzzled by his tone of voice, Horatio took off his glasses locking her eyes with his. "Have you been back to the streets?"

The shock on her face was the first thing he noticed before her quiet answer registered, "No… Horatio I wouldn't. I promised you…"

Horatio's head dropped, the look on his face a mixture of pain and relief. Mich was confused, "Horatio, please, you have to believe me…"

"It would be one way for you to control your anger… Work the streets at night to ease your frustration, so you are calmer during the day…"

Mich stared at Horatio, blinking away tears, "It doesn't work like that, anything that triggers my anger would have a knock on effect… But I've been with you every evening, shared a bed with you…"

"You could still sneak out without waking me… and we've only been together the last couple of weeks or so."

Mich couldn't believe what she was hearing, turning away slightly to look out of the window she spoke softly, Horatio wincing at the pain in her voice, "Do you seriously think I would risk our life together after what we've just been through?"

Horatio sighed and stepped forwards, his hands encircling her waist. "No, I don't, but I had to ask…"

Mich turned back to face him, her pain replaced by worry, "Why? What's going on?"

"A case we have running at the moment, Frank spotted a similarity between it and your last operation…"

Mich stared at him her eyes opening wide, "and you thought…"

Horatio closed his eyes, "Sweetheart, I'm sorry… It's just…"

Mich placed a finger on his lips to silence him and he could see a single tear slide slowly down her cheek before she kissed him tenderly. "I understand Horatio, any similarity, any possible lead has to be followed up…"

Horatio was surprised at the matter of fact tone of voice, even more surprised at the soft smile that came on her face, "I don't blame you Horatio, you're just doing your duty… I would do the same."

Horatio shook his head, "No… You promised me you wouldn't go back to your old life, and I doubted you. I shouldn't have."

Mich sighed, "A couple of years ago we had a conversation… and I told you then that if a choice had to be made between protecting your city or being with me – I would lose…"

"Mich…"

She interrupted him quietly, "That still holds true Horatio, and we both know it. The difference is that I can now accept that, it is part of who you are – and I wouldn't want it any other way."

Pulling Mich close, he held her tightly, her head tucked under his chin, his head resting gently on hers. For a while they stood, each saying nothing but sharing their strength, feeling the bond between them growing ever stronger.

Horatio was the first to pull back slightly, looking down at Mich with a smile, "I have to get back."

She grinned back, "and miss lunch! Don't you dare, it's not often we have time just for the two of us. First we'll have something to eat and then I'll arrange with Kate to take the class this afternoon. Storm and Knight will have to make do with an afternoon in the paddock instead of training."

Horatio gave her a startled look, "Why?"

Mich's face became a little hard, "Because if this case made you think it was me, I want to know what's going on… I'm coming back to the PD with you."

&&**

Horatio glanced at the woman next to him. Mich was sitting in the passenger seat of the Hummer, her face unreadable, until you looked in her eyes. The look worried Horatio slightly, he had seen it only once or twice before and it indicated that Mich was drawing on her experiences as an MI5 agent.

Pulling up outside the PD, he smiled as she waited for him to escort her inside, trying to hide his concern. As they went up to the lab Mich looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "something wrong Horatio?"

"I don't think you should be here Mich, I don't want this to trigger something for you."

Mich sighed, "I know, but from what you said at home, you need help and maybe I can do that. If not – I'll go straight home and we won't talk about it any more, deal?"

Horatio looked at her and saw the concern for him on her face, the need to help showing in her eyes, he chuckled softly, "Ok… You have a deal."

As they walked to the AV lab together, they were met by Calleigh who looked a little embarrassed when she saw Mich. At first the female CSI said nothing and returned to her lab to collect the case files at Horatio's request.

As the files were put out on the A/V table, Mich joked with the ballistics expert, "So Cal… Did the .303 bullets match?"

Calleigh turned a slight shade of pink realising that Mich had guessed the reason for her embarrassment, "No… But how…"

Mich spoke softly to allay her friends fears, "It's ok Cal… As in the case two years ago – I know you're just doing your job."

"Now let's have a look at these pictures and you and Horatio can fill me in."

Calleigh glanced at Horatio, generally outsiders were not allowed to see any kind of evidence that might compromise the case, but she realised that this was not an ordinary situation.

H nodded, "let's just say that Mich is our 'expert witness' shall we…?"

Calleigh chuckled and began to explain to Mich about what had been pieced together so far. Mich listened carefully and after a few moments gave Horatio a soft look. "I can see now why you thought it could have been me…"

"Cal, can you show me the full layout of the former Mala Noche territory?"

The blonde CSI made a few strokes on the A/V table, and soon an area of the city was highlighted in blue. Mich walked a little closer to the screen "and which areas are controlled by the victims gangs?"

Mich looked carefully at the map on the wall before she spoke quietly, "How many gangs control the remaining area?"

"Two."

Mich turned at the deep Southern voice that had come from the door. Frank walked in slowly, looking at Mich, his eyes narrowed. There was something going on here, his instincts told him that. Mich gave a soft smile, but she knew that the detective was not going to fall for any story.

Horatio interrupted any possible questions he might have had to ask one of his own. "Hello Frank. Did you find anything out for us?"

The Texan nodded, "The four gangs that have been hit have become angry, looking for answers, the remaining two have gone quiet, hoping to be left out of what they see is a turf war between the other four. They believe that the fact one of the Russians was killed first is the reason this has escalated."

Calleigh was intrigued, "How so?"

"They think the Russians are going after everyone else because they don't know who did the original hit."

Initially Mich said nothing, listening to Frank's words, she was carefully looking at Alexx's autopsy photographs and something had caught her eye.

"That's what the killer wants everyone to think."

Frank, Calleigh and Horatio, turned to look at Mich, who by now had picked up a magnifying glass to look at the picture more closely. Horatio was intrigued, but also concerned at the look he could see in Mich's eyes.

"What have you found?"

Mich looked up and sighed, quietly she walked over to the door of the A/V lab and closed it. "Look at the picture Horatio, look at the technique used to cut the victims throat."

Frank looked at her closely, "It's just a slice across the neck isn't it?"

Mich shook her head, "That's what it looks like – and that kind of move would result in the victim bleeding out. Also, the victim would show slight signs of a struggle – and you might have picked up some skin scrapings from underneath the fingernails."

"All of these victims were surprised, but died instantly. That means the knife used was pushed directly into the neck, cutting the carotid artery, before being pulled across the throat. Any bleeding would have been into the body, not out."

Horatio looked up, "As Alexx's reports state. So this means we have a practised killer on our hands."

Mich nodded, "It is also a technique taught to every agent working for the security services."

Frank pulled a face, "Are you saying we've got another CIA operation going on here? Damned…"

"It's not a CIA job…"

Horatio turned to Mich noticing that she had become pale, "How can you be sure?"

"Because I recognise the technique Horatio, I know who this is…"

**

The three Law Enforcement Officers stared at Mich not knowing what to say. Calleigh, because she didn't want to give anything away to Frank without Horatio's consent, Horatio was quiet, because he knew that this was part of Mich's past and he was trying to prepare himself for what might happen next. Frank, because he now realised that Mich was not the person he thought she was.

Horatio spoke quietly, needing any information Mich could have. "What can you tell us sweetheart?"

The former MI5 agent sat down on a nearby stool speaking equally quietly. "This assassin is known as the Lynx, former CIA, but turned rogue and now working for whomever will pay. "

Calleigh become curious "How do you know who this person is Mich?"

"The CIA put the Lynx on a hit list after someone important was killed – several agents were asked to run the Lynx down – I was one of them."

A polite cough issued from near the door and Frank spoke quietly, "Would you three mind telling me what is going on – or should I leave and pretend I didn't hear anything."

Mich gave a soft chuckle and nodded to Horatio, over the last couple of years she had come to know the team well and knew that Horatio trusted Frank a great deal. Quickly Horatio filled Frank in and Mich noted how the Texan's face went through the various stages of anger, denial and finally acceptance.

"Give me a picture of this guy and we'll have him behind bars within 24 hours."

"No…"

Horatio's eyes narrowed at Mich's abrupt answer, but remained quiet as she explained herself, "Firstly, I don't have a recent picture, and secondly, what are you going to use to bring the Lynx in? You have no evidence Frank, and she will just walk away…"

Frank was stunned, "SHE!"

Mich couldn't help but laugh, "You'd be surprised as to how many of us there are Frank… A female assassin is easier to hide in a community." She became more sombre, "The Lynx is one of the best at covering her tracks, I was sent after her twice – both times I nearly got her, but she eluded me at the last minute."

"Later we discovered that she had a friend on the inside, she knew who was chasing her. That knowledge helped her to escape."

Horatio pulled a face, "So now she's in Miami… What is she up to? Creating a turf war so someone new can move in?"

Mich shook her head, "That's not what she does, her speciality is a single contract kill."

Calleigh was confused, "But she's killed nine already…"

Mich sighed and explained, "The Lynx creates a trap for her official target – first she builds up her knowledge, does her research. Works out how to draw her target out into the open. Then she takes the target out."

"All the killings so far are incidental, part of her technique – collateral damage if you like."

"But she didn't kill the prostitute, why?"

Mich dropped her head, "because her intended target would not be so interested in the death of a prostitute. She has deliberately linked the nine murders so far – if she had killed the prostitute, it would have moved the focus of her intended victim."

Horatio frowned, "So our job is to work out who her target is – and who paid her to do the job…"

Mich pulled a face, from her knowledge of the Lynx, she had already worked out the answers to both questions – and they were right in front of her. Calleigh saw Mich's reaction and realised what she was thinking. "Have you worked it out already Mich?"

The former agent nodded, "Your next murder will either be a member of the same gang as the last murder with a different MO, or a member of one of the two untouched gangs in the area with the same MO. As for the people who requested the hit… She is telling us what they used to own…"

Calleigh was surprised, "The Mala Noche? But the gang is gone – we broke them up."

Mich sighed, "But there are some members are still around Calleigh, there may be enough of them to get something together. She could have been given the initial contract a long time ago, or even from one of the higher members currently behind bars."

Frank became agitated, "and there are a lot of people who were on the Noche's hit list, how do we know who it is?"

It was Calleigh who saw the link, "Someone who would connect the murders to each other… That's the trap… Someone will connect the murders and be drawn in to see what happens next – maybe someone who would profit from trouble between the gangs."

Frank shook his head, "When there's a big turf war, all the gangs suffer for a while… Their clients can't get what they need and go looking elsewhere, no-one benefits. It creates trouble on the streets"

Horatio straightened up, he noticed the look on Mich's face, saw the fear in her eyes, "We benefit Frank… Dealers get sloppy, runners get nervous… Everytime there's a turf war we take the bad guys off the street."

Frank was startled, "She's after the PD! A few too many to take out…"

It was Calleigh's turn to look afraid, "She only needs to take out one person Frank… One person who would show an interest in a serial killer… and we have one person here who we know the Mala Noche put on their hit list."

"She's coming after me." Horatio's mouth was set it a tight line, indicating to Mich the level his anger had reached. "Well she's going to have to work a lot harder to catch me out."

Mich became worried, "Don't talk like that Horatio, the Lynx is not someone you can take lightly."

Horatio was only a little concerned, "Mich I've been threatened before – how good is her hit rate?"

Mich fought down her fear and anger, "She never misses…"

Calleigh and Frank traded looks and even Horatio was startled, the Texan shook his head, "We're going to have to be very careful with this… Are you sure she's never missed Mich?"

"It is why she's targeted by all the agencies Frank… CIA, MI5, Mossad… Even the Russians want her dead… She's dangerous. Very dangerous."

Horatio allowed his anger to show, "I am not going to sit around here and wait for her to walk in… There must be something we can do…"

Mich nodded, "It's possible that she doesn't know that you've sprung her trap already – she usually builds slowly over a few months… We can keep collecting information which will help pin her down. I can call Dad – he still has contacts…"

Frank interrupted, "Yeah… and then what…?"

"We still have an advantage… She doesn't know I'm here…"

Horatio was facing her at that point and what he saw made him turn ice cold. For a moment he was afraid that everything he and Mich had been through was for nothing, when he saw the look in her eyes. The Wolf was certainly back, but now Mich had her under complete control. Though there was an assassin moving around, he wasn't sure who to be more afraid of…

&&**

Calleigh and Frank began to talk quietly about how they could collect more information without giving away the fact that the PD had connected the murders. Horatio moved closer to his partner, worried about what could be moving through her mind.

"Mich, what are you thinking…? You've given us a heads up, we can take it from here."

Mich shook her head, "It won't be enough Horatio, The PD is great at what it does – and you have a superb team, but without my knowledge you will not catch her."

"She's that good?"

Mich dropped her head, "I was sent after her twice Horatio – and both times I failed… Her voiced softened and she spoke so quietly that only H could hear, "She is not going to take you from me after I have worked so hard… After you have helped me so much…"

Horatio caught Mich's hand, "I have no intention of letting her catch me sweetheart, but I also don't want you to go back to the way you were…"

Mich sighed, "I won't let the Wolf take over Horatio, not now I know how to control her, but if the Lynx wins…"

Horatio pulled her close, "Don't go there…"

Calleigh and Frank noticed the exchange, Frank, his anger barely under control left to start his inquiries. Calleigh, trying not to show her concern for her friend and her boss began to look through the reports on each file more carefully trying to find answers that she was afraid would not come.

&&

Horatio arrived home, his mind spinning. It was not the first time his life had been threatened, but this time it was different. This time it was not some jumped up punk who had made money off other people, exploiting their weaknesses. This time it was someone who could seriously follow through with the threat.

As Horatio walked towards the house he took a deep breath, it was time he admitted it to himself. He was afraid…

He was afraid not only for himself, but for his team, his friends and his family. Mich had revealed that the Lynx would escalate her killings if her initial trap failed. On one side they had to play a waiting game, to try and spring the trap – but if they waited too long, she would go after people close to him…

Mich had indicated her first likely targets would be Calleigh and Eric – because of the length of time they had worked together. Eric especially because they were family through Marisol. Mich had also admitted that she herself would be a target – and possibly the girls too.

They had discussed sending Kyra and Amber to stay with Derek – but Calleigh pointed out that this might show the Lynx that they were on to her – especially as Kyra was still at school. Summer break would not begin for another three weeks.

Walking into the house, he was surprised to see Sarah helping Kyra with her homework. The young nanny had usually left by now.

Seeing Horatio the young woman got up to say goodnight, "Mich said she had to go and see someone and that she wouldn't be long. Do you need me to stay a little longer?"

Horatio shook his head and allowed her to leave knowing Amber was already asleep in her bed. Leaving Kyra to finish her homework, he went upstairs to check on his daughter. The little red-head was fast asleep, the occasional little snore coming from her mouth making him smile.

He closed his eyes in pain, what was he going to do? His whole being screamed at him not to let Mich be a part of this, but she was right. She was the one with the knowledge and the ability to defeat the Lynx, but at what cost…?

A slight noise from downstairs confirmed that Mich was home and when he heard Kyra's happy voice he began to relax a little. Moving out of Amber's room, he saw Mich going into theirs, carrying something in her hand.

After a quiet dinner, Mich sent Kyra to bed and excused herself, Horatio following a few minutes later, curious as to what she was doing. Walking into their room he sighed when he saw Mich inspecting her things. As he watched, Mich picked up a knife and a small stone, sharpening the edge.

"I missed you earlier."

Mich gave a sad smile, "I had to go and get something… Thank god Ryan is OCD… He's looked after my blades really well."

Standing up, Mich picked up the Katana blades and started to travel slowly around the room. Horatio was entranced by the movement, almost a dance that made him ache to join her, except for the ways that the blades were spinning about her.

She stopped in front of him, sliding the blades into their position over her back and looked up at him with sad eyes. "It seems moving on from my past is not going to be as easy as we both had hoped."

Horatio's voice caught in his throat, "How can I help… How can I stop the Wolf from reclaiming you…?"

Mich gave a soft smile, "She cannot, because I won't let her control me… But if you want to help me… help me become stronger in my fight… There is something you can do…"

"Name it…"

"Just hold me and show me you love me Horatio… It is the one thing that will help me control the anger should it start to rise and threaten to take over…"

&&**

Horatio sighed and drew Mich closer, he was not in the mood for anything except a warm shower and a good night's sleep. Trying to give Mich a hug, his arms were blocked by the blades across her back. Mich drew both blades slowly from their place with barely a sound, as she did so, she looked up at him, her eyes soft and dark.

The next moment she dropped to her knees, the Katana resting lightly on the palms of her hands, offered to him. A short expression issued from her mouth which Horatio only knew was a form of Japanese. As she dropped her head, Mich automatically translated for him.

"I am here to serve and yours to command."

Horatio gently took the blades from her and placed them carefully to one side, carefully kneeling down as he did so.

"Mich… You don't need to do this."

Sad eyes looked up at him, "I do Horatio, because if something happens to you… I will never forgive myself."

Horatio pulled her tightly to him, "Nothing is going to happen to me."

As tears began to slide silently down Mich's cheeks he realised how afraid she was, not only because she might lose him, but also in losing him, she would lose herself. Lifting her face up, he kissed her softly, unprepared for the emotion that washed over him.

He was used to being a target, used to having his team work with him, but never had he expected anyone to give up everything for him. With her actions Mich was prepared to do just that and he didn't like it. Unfortunately, he also knew that she was right.

A slight movement in his arms caught his attention and he helped Mich slide off the harness that carried her blades, as her arms were freed they settled onto his chest, her hands cupping his face. The kiss delivered to his lips was soft, barely touching and it awoke emotions that he thought had died long ago.

Though he loved Mich, part of him had always belonged to Marisol, Mich knew that, never challenged him on it, just accepting that he would never forget her. Part of him had been locked away, but now the fear of losing Mich released those feelings into the open.

Slowly he kissed her lips as if discovering her for the first time. Mich sensed the hesitancy and drew back slightly regarding him with soft curious eyes, before returning the kiss gently, understanding that something was different.

"Horatio?"

He stood and turned away from her walking to the window where he stared out into the growing darkness, feeling it clouding his mind. "I don't like it Mich…"

Quietly she crossed the room and stood behind him, crossing her arms over his chest, leaning her head against his back. "I know, I don't like it either. But you cannot deny it Horatio – The Lynx is coming after you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know how she works… I studied her, learned from her. She was the best, before she turned rogue…"

"You replaced her…"

Mich nodded, "Yes… and it is part of the reason why I was sent after her."

Horatio sighed, "I've never felt so helpless before… It's my job to protect others – not be protected…"

Mich moved in front of him, looking up at a face that was creased by worry. "You must continue to do your job Horatio – any change could alert her to the fact that we know she's here."

"But I cannot ignore the fact that she is here… She could hurt the team…"

"That's my job Horatio – let me worry about that."

"And what am I supposed to do?"

"As I said earlier, do what you have done over the last few months… Help me… Protect me from myself."

Stepping closer, Mich wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him tenderly.

&&**

Horatio could no longer deny the emotions Mich's kiss unleashed, but they did not hit him like a tidal wave will threaten to drown a living man. They wove their way through his body giving strength to his tired muscles, sharpening his instincts, clearing his mind.

Returning Mich's kiss, he could feel her lean into him, could feel the sigh as it floated through her body, but noted that she waited for him to make the next move. Slowly he traced his fingertips around her face, barely touching the skin. Watching to see her reaction.

Mich was frozen in time and space as Horatio made his blind man's survey of her forehead, eyes, nose and cheeks. She inhaled as his fingers drifted lazily along her jaw and came to rest on her chin, one finger stopping on her lips was rewarded with the lightest of kisses.

His hands continued tracing the outline of her, drifting down her neck as her eyes closed, yet still she didn't move, her hands still resting on his waist. "Mich…"

Her lips met his, responding to the request he made.

This time it was not Horatio that took the lead, Mich sensed the hesitancy, the pain that he could not fight for himself, the worry that someone else had to do it for him. Slowly she removed his shirt and pushed him gently towards the bed, where, once he had lied down, she began to massage his back with the oil she had taken from the dressing table.

Slowly she began to knead his back and lateral muscles, feeling the tension underneath. She sighed, for Horatio to be able to help her, she first needed to help him. Gradually she increased the pressure and the muscles started to soften and yield, Horatio's breathing slowing and becoming deeper.

She paused for a moment and smiled, her massage had totally relaxed Horatio and he had all but fallen asleep. Before she did so, she nudged him over and undid his belt carefully removing his trousers and hanging them over the back of the chair.

Without warning, a pair of arms slid round her waist, a pair of lips crawling their way up the side of her neck to her hairline just behind her ear. Mich inhaled deeply and chuckled, "I thought you were falling asleep…"

She could sense the smile on Horatio's lips as his voice murmured into her ear, "I was, but you stopped just in time…"

"Oh?"

Horatio's answer was another set of kisses that floated across her shoulder, leaning back into him, her eyes closing, she felt his grip tightening around her waist. It was one thing she loved about him, the hidden strength in his arms. H was deceptively strong, Mich having found out one day when he was helping her move a few things around the barn. What she loved the most was the way Horatio never used that strength against her, yet she could still feel its presence just under the surface.

Turning, she smiled shyly and tucked in close to him before lifting her head and giving him a soft kiss on the jaw. For a moment they stood, foreheads touching, each knowing that ahead of them lay a trial like no other.

&&

Horatio sighed, Mich finally asleep in his arms. Her massage had certainly eased the tension in his muscles and the hot shower that they had shared had continued that work. They had both returned to the bedroom, but apart from a cheeky wink from Mich that had made him chuckle, they had done nothing more than share their thoughts and wishes for the future.

At one point Mich had become upset, angry that the Lynx had come along and spoilt what she felt was the beginning of a new life for her. "You have to understand Horatio – I thought that I would never be able to find someone… I thought that it would just be Kyra and I, and now, when I could finally believe that I can be ordinary, have an ordinary life, the Lynx comes along and destroys it all…"

Horatio had tightened his grip around her, pulling her close, his voice quiet. "She hasn't destroyed it yet sweetheart. Maybe we were both mistaken in thinking that we could rid ourselves of the Wolf completely. She is part of you… Maybe we just need to ask her to back off a little…"

Mich had sighed and said nothing and he left her with her thoughts, his own mind taking him in a different direction. As her breathing fell into a slower deeper rhythm, Horatio too fell asleep.


	7. The Hunt begins

Across the city, a dark suited figure moved easily and stealthily across the rooftops. Dark hair kept conveniently short she moved with a gymnasts athleticism and grace. Pausing to scout the streets below, she pondered on what she had seen that afternoon.

Her target had left the PD a little before noon, a worried look on his face and returned about an hour later, still concerned but apparently happier. Part of that reason seemed to be the woman at his side, but she was not troubled about that.

What worried her most was the apparent lack of interest in the killings that she had recently orchestrated. Sure, the CSI unit had become involved and the Lieutenant himself had turned up to a couple of the scenes – but not many.

She paused and sat on the edge of the apartment block she had just crossed. Thoughtfully she went back over the recent kills, remembering the times that were associated with each. It dawned on her almost immediately that maybe some of the kills may not have been investigated by the lieutenant's team. Could she have been too hasty in her approach to this task?

A slow smile spread across her face as she checked her mental notes. Listening on the police scanner to the police reports, she had started to identify the voices of the red-head's team and then watched the PD carefully to put faces to those voices, names to the faces.

After a few minutes she was done thinking, realising that of the nine kills, his team had only been called to four. It was time to narrow her target field and tighten the net. Moving into a familiar territory, she started moving around, looking for her identified target.

Checking her watch, she realised it was still early – only 1 am. Either this kill had to be well hidden – or she would have to wait later to be sure the day shift crew would find it. Spotting the man she was after, she decided on the former when she saw the dumpster nearby. From her knowledge of the area, she knew it would be emptied at around 8am.

She returned the knife to its place on her arm – it was time to change MO before she moved into the next territory. Lifting her small crossbow, she took aim and fired the poisoned dart into the back of the man's neck at a range of about 10 metres – using the night sight to help her accuracy.

The man was heavier than she had thought so instead of lifting him into the dumpster, she rolled him underneath it – he would still be spotted at around the right time, she was sure. Walking around carefully, she started to eliminate any possible evidence that might give away her identity. In about an hour she was ready and slowly retraced her steps, before moving on.

New area, new target. Soon the Lieutenant would be the one in her sights.

&&

Horatio allowed a soft smile to cross his face as he heard the judges decision, Carl Keaton would be disappearing into Rykers for quite some time…

Stacey would need help with her baby – when checked out by the doctor, it had been discovered that the teenager was too far along for termination to be legally possible. He was in two minds about whether he agreed with the situation or not.

While his belief cried out against it, his moral judgement asked whether Stacey was psychologically prepared for such a change to her life. When Mich had found out she was pregnant with Amber he had been afraid that she would terminate the pregnancy – and would have probably tried to change her mind. However, this was a completely different situation – and Mich had wanted Amber just as much as he did…

Stacey and her mother were responding well to the counselling at the Atalanta Foundation and Natalia had gone there several times to talk to them. At first the organisation had been wary of allowing the police through their doors, but by being frank about her own history and giving assurances that she was only there to help, the young CSI had gained their trust.

Horatio was happy about that outcome and had met the organisation's founder, an instant rapport springing up between them. He knew then that he had something to offer other women at risk – a safe haven to which they could run.

As he left the courthouse the smile spread into a grin. Chuckling to himself he wondered if they would be able to cope with Mich… A sudden thought struck him, how had he managed to cope? Certainly they had gone through a bad time – but that had merely been down to the fact that Mich been afraid to talk about her experiences – her life before they met.

Since she had opened up to him, and he had accepted who she was all the other little niggly problems had evaporated. Certainly Mich was still her independent self, but he realised that she turned to him for advice on many occasions – even when they were having trouble with their relationship. He gave a soft sigh and shook his head, now understanding why she had been so upset the night before.

This business with the Lynx had shaken her, he still wasn't one hundred per cent sure that he was the target – but Mich seemed convinced – and she knew how this assassin worked. If Mich was sure… Climbing into the Hummer, he didn't take his usual route back to the PD. One thing was certain, the more random his actions – the more changes he made to his routine, the harder the target he became.

At least he was doing something to protect himself – and that made him a lot happier than leaving it completely to Mich.

Her eyes narrowed, the brunette followed the Hummer to within two blocks of the PD. Why had the Lieutenant chosen this different route back? Had he needed time to think before returning to his office? Had he needed to check something out?

&&*

Horatio was surprised to find Mich waiting for him in his office considering it was a Saturday, but by the look on her face knew that it was important.

"What's up?"

"My old supervisor called. He's found something that we can use in our case against the Lynx."

"So have I."

Horatio turned to see that Calleigh had followed him in through the door. "Ok, you first Cal."

"We've got another DB… Same territory, same gang… Different MO."

Mich's head snapped around from where she had been looking out of the window. "Damn."

Calleigh was confused, "Isn't it good news?"

Mich shrugged her shoulders, "I was hoping she would move into a new territory – now we have to wait for her to kill again before I know where she's working." She gave Calleigh a smile, "What did she use this time?"

"Poisoned dart. Is it her?"

The colour drained from Mich's face giving the CSI the answer she needed, "Yes, it's her favourite weapon, a short range crossbow. The poison is instantly lethal – if you test it, it's some kind of neuro-toxin. That crossbow is only accurate up to 30m, so it's dangerous to use in a crowd."

Horatio pulled a face, "Meaning the wrong person might get killed?"

Mich nodded, "It might sound strange Horatio – but we assassins tend to take pride in our work. The quicker and cleaner the kill – the better we are – especially if we can do it silently." She chuckled quietly, "The K & R specialist Gaby has the most suitable weapon of all - the combat bow is the best for all kinds of work. The only downside is that it's awkward to carry in an urban environment, and arrows don't go through windows."

Calleigh raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Unless it has a small warhead attached, or a bullet tip."

Mich laughed, "True – but both of those are a little noisy for my kind of work."

Horatio shook his head and grinned at the two women, he doubted if there were many like them around. Most 'ordinary' women would prefer to talk about fashion, furnishings and gossip about who was dating who – but that was a sure fire way to make Mich and Calleigh switch off. However, mention any kind of weapon and the two of them would light up like Christmas trees.

"Are you two sure you weren't Amazon warriors in a previous life?"

Calleigh returned her bosses grin, "Well, you know, I hadn't considered that possibility – we both ride, which was a pre-requisite for an Amazon too. Mind you, I don't think I could go along with the whole cutting off a breast thing. I happen to like my body as it is."

The three of them roared with laughter for a moment before Calleigh continued in a more sombre tone. "So what did your contact tell you about the Lynx Mich, can we use it?"

The moment of fun over, her voice became quiet, "For some reason, the number 17 is important to the Lynx. Each time she's built towards a target, she's either killed 17 or killed the final target on the 17th of the month."

Horatio frowned, "Is her main target one of the seventeen?" Mich nodded, eliciting a curse from him. "We have ten dead men and today is the third of the month…"

Calleigh looked worried, "We're running out of time."

Mich became a little angry, "and I have two territories to try and cover looking for her. When she kills tonight, I'll have a smaller area."

Calleigh narrowed her eyes a little, "Actually Mich, I think you'll only have one. So far she's killed in overlapping territories – so I don't think she'll change."

Mich acknowledged the possibility, "Anything else that might help that idea?"

Calleigh gave a cruel smile, "The last territory is the closest to the PD…"

Mich's eyes changed before Horatio could say anything, "May I borrow your AV lab honey? I need to make some plans…"

Calleigh smiled, "You'll need to be accompanied into that lab Mich… Need any help?"

Horatio raised his eyes heavenward, half of him fearful, but the other half knowing that the two of them would figure this out very quickly if they worked together. Calleigh's friendship would also help Mich to keep calm.

"Go… If history is anything to go by, people getting in the way of the Amazons were in serious trouble – I hope that works for us too."

As the two of them left and made their way purposely down the corridor, he hoped history would be repeating itself.

**

Mich stood on top of the building feeling the soft ocean breeze caressing her face. In the past, she would have felt the adrenaline rush, exhilarated by challenge of what lay ahead, conscious of the fact she was removing another parasite from the world. No more.

Tonight she was here on a matter of life and death, desperate to find answers, desperate to prevent a future that could see her returning to her old ways. Ways that she no longer wanted to return to.

The Wolf part of her was still strong, though for the moment it was under control. Mich paused for a moment, was the Wolf under control – or had she changed enough for that side of her character to have withdrawn? Had Horatio been able to chase the nightmares away with his silent strength?

Mich gave a soft smile as she thought about the red-headed Lieutenant, he was not normally her 'type' – she had always preferred the rebels when she was younger. Yet Horatio had stepped into her life and she had found herself drawn to him from day one. She still couldn't quite put her finger on it. The only other person she had felt this way about had been Robert…

The smile turned into a chuckle. What a meeting that would be, though it could never happen. Robert was in a secure UK prison, though helping Scotland Yard in their battle against the drug barons. Horatio was fighting his own battle here in Miami against the very same kind of people. The difference was that Robert was protected, hidden away and would be so for the rest of his life.

Horatio was a target, and always would be. The chuckle stopped, the smile disappeared, replaced by a tight thin line. Horatio was in the front line, a warrior against injustice and evil and those he fought would always try to remove him from life. Her eyes narrowed, Mich turned her mind to the job at hand. No-one would take him away, not while she was around…

&&

On a similar rooftop only a few blocks away, the Lynx was planning her own moves in the game of chess that was about to unfold.

That afternoon, she had woken from her recurring nightmare, feeling the cigarette once more burning into her body. It was why at the age of seventeen she had run away from home, why she had been caught up in a street gang in the first city she came to - a naive youngster from the mid-west, raped before she was eighteen.

The will to survive and the anger inside had caused her to move to the military, where she learnt that discipline came in many forms. Responding well to that style of life, she began to excel at her classes and was quickly noticed by personnel needing a few specialist workers.

A transfer to CIA tweaked her curiosity, initially an intelligence agent, her affinity for weapons lead her to specialist training and the life of an assassin. Unknown to the CIA, her first cold-blooded kill was her own father, on his way home after another night of drinking, while she was on leave.

Later she would hunt down and kill the man who had raped her, but by then her controllers had realised that she was not the trained assassin they had wanted. She had become a wild card – doing her job, but also having her own agenda.

They had realised too late and she escaped them. Building a new life for herself she had been able to find satisfaction in her work – but also what she was able to buy as a result. Freedom. Freedom to live as she wished, travel where she wanted. Freedom to choose who shared her bed and who she kicked out of it. The Lynx had no wish to find a long term partner, happy with her independent life.

Taking a final look around, she descended to street level using the fire escape and began to scout around for her first target.

&&

Mich too was at street level, also looking for targets, she knew she would not find the Lynx immediately – but she did have an advantage. The higher gang members of the territory that she was patrolling were known to the police and they had been asked to keep their eyes open.

Methodically she began to comb the area, knowing she would not be able to cover the whole territory in one night, but maybe she would get a feel for the land the Lynx was working and that would help her cause.

After an hour, she received a call. Checking her GPS system, she moved to the site of the reported death, but it was not the lead she had hoped for. A dealer had been killed, but the evidence and murder weapon in plain sight.

Quietly she moved away, the night-shift CSI's not even noticing her presence, though one did look up towards the spot that she had vacated only a moment earlier.

The young man seemed a little shaken to his supervisor as he explained that he had felt that he was being watched. Mike smiled, knowing that a 'specialist' had been called in to track down the assassin – it looked like they knew their job.

Just after three in the morning, Mich came across the body.

**

Mich carefully inspected the body, all the time keeping a wary eye out for her opposition. She knew the Lynx could not be far away judging by the heat still emanating from the man's still form lying in front of her. An idea popped into her mind making her smile.

Slipping into the shadows, she sent a message to Mike.

&&

The night shift supervisor opened his cell, eyebrows raised when he saw the codeword at the beginning of the message. Horatio had briefed him in on the story – that a well known assassin was working the streets of Miami and the CIA had sent down a specialist to track – and hopefully catch – the person in question.

Quickly he called a member of his team and the two of them carefully made their way down the alley. They hadn't travelled far when they saw the body. Whilst the CSI began looking around, his supervisor called for more help.

Mich watched carefully from a nearby rooftop. Lying flat to the ground, she would be able to see any kind of movement, especially now she was using her night vision glasses. The sound of sirens made her smile as they pulled up near the alley and Mich began looking around more closely.

&&

The Lynx paused in her movement, hearing the sirens. Quickly she made her way up the final part of the fire escape to see what was going on. She swore loudly when she saw where the patrol cars had stopped. How had they found the body so quickly?

She had been meticulous in cleaning up the area, but who had found the body at this time of night? Not some tramp who would merely steal the clothes… A runner maybe? Coming to report another sale or pick up more baggies for the next client…?

She made her way to a better vantage point, moving slowly and stealthily. What she saw stunned her, police there were, but no-one else. Even a runner or some street rats would have been drawn to the cars, but there was nothing.

Mich spotted the movement on the rooftop opposite and fine tuned the glasses. Her smile widened as she recognised the person on the opposite side of the alley. "Long time no see Anna…" She froze as the figure looked directly at her almost in response to the whispered words.

The Lynx stared about her, her mind flying through the possibilities… She did not believe in luck – or coincidence – someone had found the body earlier than she had intended. The question was… Who…

&&

Once again the Lynx paused. Since leaving the site of the body, she had moved quietly around the backstreets, making her way slowly back to her base. However, she could not escape the feeling of being watched.

It was a sensation she did not like – her mind told her it was only paranoia, probably as a result of the body being found so quickly, but her training told her otherwise. Abruptly she retraced her steps, for a moment, she thought she saw a figure disappear around a corner, but when she arrived there, she saw nothing.

Cursing an over active imagination, she returned to her route back to her motel.

&&

Mich chuckled to herself, adrenaline buzzing through her body. When the Lynx had stopped, she had anticipated the move and hidden just in time. Glancing up, she saw the night sky becoming paler and sighed, it was time to return home.

Quickly she made a note of where she was, and the name of the motel the Lynx had returned to. The following day Frank would make use of the information to place a few men in the area. Horatio had agreed that they would need to catch the Lynx in action to make any kind of case against the assassin.

As she returned to her SUV, Mich was pleased with the night's work – now it was the day shifts turn…

**

Horatio stirred…

He had at first been unable to sleep, worried about Mich, worried what might or might not happen. Then, without him even realising, it had claimed him from one moment to the next, cutting his thoughts in mid-stroke.

He stirred again, suddenly, aware of a presence in the room sat bolt upright in bed. He came face to face with a black-clothed Mich, a soft smile on her face, concern showing in the corner of her eyes.

"Couldn't sleep?"

He gave a rueful smile, "Does it show that much?"

Mich said nothing, but moved from her sitting position and began to undress quickly, jumping into bed next to him, pulling him down so she could snuggle in tightly. "We still have an hour or so before the alarm goes off…"

Horatio sighed, "but what about…"

Mich placed a finger over his lips, "Mike will fill you in later and I've left messages for Frank which will also be passed on to you later. Now… Please… Let's go to sleep and snatch a little rest time together…"

Horatio shook his head and gave in. Mich in this mood would not take no for an answer. It did not take long for his eyes to close…

&&

Horatio's eyes widened when he saw the messages that had been left for him that morning. Thankfully it was a Monday which meant Mich was able to sleep a little later than usual as it was her 'day off' from the stable. Not that she would rest for long.

She had turned up that morning after her second night hunting the Lynx and had struck the jackpot so it seemed, Frank now had the area around the motel staked out and the detectives involved had been ordered to take pictures of all the women. Mich would be contacted later to see if she could identify their target.

Examining what little evidence they had, Horatio felt a sense of frustration. He was the target and didn't like it, didn't like the enforced waiting around, didn't like the way everyone was treating him like he was a fragile piece of glass.

Eric walked into the layout room and sensed his frustration. "So… How's Mich?"

"I left her asleep, but she seemed pretty pleased with herself this morning – and judging by what I can see here, I know why."

Eric gave his boss a sideways glance, "and how are you doing?"

Horatio said nothing, but the fingerprint expert noticed the tightening at the corner of his mouth. "You do realise H, if something happens to you, we're all in deep trouble…"

Distracted by his light matter of fact tone, Horatio raised his eyebrows, "Oh… How so?"

"We'll all be out of a job."

Seeing the confused look in his eyes Eric laughed, "Mich will clear the streets in days… We'll have no more criminals on the streets… Miami will be the safest city in the States – unless you're a drug dealer."

Horatio gave a rueful smile, "and that's supposed to cheer me up?"

"No… I just thought I'd point out that if we do lose you, Mich will take your place as protector of Miami… Her methods might just be a little more… direct."

Horatio gave his brother-in-law an incredulous look. Eric looked him straight in the eye, "We don't really need you, you know…"

He was about to say something, when he noticed the corner of his mouth twitch. "CSI Delko, if you ever wind me up like that again…"

Eric chuckled quietly, "As if you needed any winding – you've got us all walking on eggshells at the moment. I know you don't like it H, but we have to let Mich do her job. She's our only advantage."

Horatio sighed, nodding his head he accepted the younger man's point. It was then he realised Mich's concern of the night before was for him – not the case. She out of everyone understood what he must be going through. Touching Eric briefly on the shoulder, he left the room.

&&**

Mich sighed. Frank's stake out team had been watching the Lynx all week, but she had done nothing suspicious. No bodies had turned up matching the MO they were looking for, though the turf war that the former CIA agent had kindled was gathering pace.

Mich knew that her old adversary would be happy with the situation – a slight distraction to keep the patrol cops at bay while she hunted more important quarry. It was now the 10th of the month and the Lynx was closer to her mark.

Only five more kills and then she would put Horatio in her sights.

Glancing across the room, her lips tightened as she saw Horatio sitting back on the sofa. He had become progressively more tense over the week though was controlling it well at work. At home he had become quieter locking himself away, even Amber had been unable to remove the dark thoughts from his mind.

Mich sat next to him saying nothing for a moment. Looking at him she could sense the frustration in his body, see the anger in his eyes. After a short while he lifted his arm and she snuggled close feeling him drawing her closer.

"Do you have to go out tonight?"

Mich closed her eyes in pain. If she didn't go out, the Lynx could add more victims to her list and would come closer to her final target… However, Horatio's tone of voice indicated he needed her too.

&&

Anna Blackely smiled as she left her motel room, carefully looking around, she spotted the dark saloon at the side of the road just over a block away. Opposite the motel was an unmarked Transit van which made her raise an eyebrow and sigh.

She hadn't moved out of her room all week after she had first spotted the surveillance vehicle, trying to build up information on their schedule. It had only taken two days to work out the room they were also using in the apartment block opposite.

Carefully she moved through the shadows, grinning as she made her escape. Ten minutes later, sure she was not being followed, she moved to rooftop level and made her way to her hunting zone.

&&

Frank swore. The team in the van had admitted that the Lynx had evaded them, and they weren't sure which direction she had gone in. He needed their information to help Mich locate the Lynx or they would lose another day.

"Are you sure she's not in her room?"

The quiet female voice surprised him as he hadn't noticed Calleigh turn up at the stake out. "Positive, why?"

The petite blonde gave a soft smile, "Well let's turn it to our advantage – if this is where she's based, how about we have a little look around?"

Frank nodded, but his initial smile turned into a frown. "What if she's left something behind that detects what we do, or we disturb her stuff, she's going to know we're on to her."

Calleigh chuckled, "I wasn't thinking about us actually going into her room Frank. SWAT have all sorts of little gadgets that we can use to get a look see… Why don't we take advantage?"

Frank chuckled and lifted his phone, "You know, I think they might just like that idea."

&&

Eric frowned, Calleigh had joined Frank at the van outside the motel and he was staring at the evidence collected in front of him, trying to find a pattern that could help build the evidence against the Lynx and possibly predict her next move.

"Need any help?"

Natalia and Ryan were standing at the door to the layout room, both with a quizzical look on their faces. Eric hesitated, the two of them had been kept out of the investigation at Mich's request – mainly because the MI5 agent believed it would be safer for all concerned. 'Need to know' had been the phrase she had used.

Ryan saw Eric's hesitation and sighed, "C'mon Eric, we know something's up and we know H and Mich are in the middle of it… Let us help, you never know what a fresh pair of eyes can see…"

**

Mich opened her eyes and sighed. Her mind was already spinning over at the cost of the night spent at home. Though he would have understood if she had gone out, Mich had chosen to stay home with Horatio instead of trying to catch the Lynx.

Her mind told her that it was the worst thing she could have done. The Lynx would be a step closer to the man she loved – and his life was not worth that risk. Yet still she had stayed home, Horatio had needed her, needed to feel alive – and that was a situation she understood only too well.

She carefully moistened her dry lips, feeling the slight bruising where he had caught her with his hard kisses in his anger and frustration. She was also a little sore elsewhere, but that did not bother her in the slightest – they had both needed the release and the rough play they had indulged in had certainly left its mark on him too.

Rolling over she smiled at the peaceful look on Horatio's face, finally he had managed to sleep the whole night through – the first time in over a week. Other nights had found him staring out of the window, or going through files on his laptop, which only increased the frustration.

As she watched, the pale eyelashes fluttered and opened slowly. Eyes, at first deep blue reflecting his contentment, became paler, almost steel toned as his mind began to wake up and prepared for the new day. A glance at the clock made him begin to move, but Mich wasn't going to release Horatio just yet. Catching his arm, she pulled him back down, kissing him softly.

"Mich… I have to go."

The soft smile and tender look she gave him made Horatio pause for a moment and he began to chuckle softly, the eyes again becoming darker. Turning to his back, he pulled Mich onto his chest and sighed, "I guess I could do with an extra ten minutes down time."

Mich chuckled, "We can grab breakfast on the way in…"

Horatio was startled, "We?"

"I'm coming with you Horatio, the team might have something I can use – tonight I really have to go out, you know that."

Horatio sighed, saying nothing as nothing needed to be said.

&&

The lab certainly did have something for them that morning… Three more bodies all killed by the Lynx's toxic darts. Mich almost began to swear, but the powerless look in Horatio's eyes all but ripped her apart and she was glad she had stayed with him.

Frank was furious, partly with the stake out team, but more so with himself for allowing the Lynx to slide out of his clutches. Calleigh mollified him slightly, pointing out that they had managed to get some valuable information from the Lynx's room.

"She appears to be highly disorganised in her everyday life." The video showed that the Lynx was in general an untidy person – clothes, papers and shoes scattered around her hotel room.

Mich started to chuckle making her friend smile, "Unless of course I am missing out on an obvious spy ploy to check that no-one has been in my room while I'm away."

Mich grinned, "It's a good thing you understand what you're up against Cal, it would be almost impossible to walk through that room without disturbing something – and she would have known for sure that someone is on to her."

"I think she does anyway."

Mich turned as she, Calleigh, Frank and Horatio were joined by the rest of the team. As Ryan continued to speak, Mich narrowed her eyes at Eric, realising that he had allowed the younger man and Natalia into the investigation.

Ryan caught the look, "Mich, did you think that I wouldn't find out why you'd asked for your blades back?"

Mich pulled a face, Ryan's curiosity was sometimes a little too much, "so why did Natalia join in?"

Ryan flushed a little and Natalia's sideways glance showed that she too was a little uncomfortable. Noticing the exchange Horatio's eyes rolled skyward as Mich began to chuckle, "Ah… I see, better not let Stetler find out…"

A sound almost like a growl issued from Horatio's throat, 'Don't worry about him…"

Natalia gave Horatio a look that was part amusement, part relief. She had been a little wary of getting into a more serious relationship with Ryan than before, but she also knew that her boss was not happy with his own personal situation. Maybe a battle with Stetler was what he needed to distract him for the moment.

The junior CSI spoke up. "We also found something that you might find interesting."

**

Mich turned her focus to Natalia and the younger woman took a deep breath. She had not been part of the team two years ago and didn't know the full story, but what she did know from all her encounters with Mich was that the former agent was not known for her patience with anyone that tried to fool around.

"Fill me in."

Natalia stepped towards the A/V table and brought up a map of the city. On the map were the points where the murder victims had been found. She drew a line joining victims of the same MO. The four knife victims, and the four dart victims were almost in two distinct straight lines. The three nine mil victims formed an inverted V shape.

Mich narrowed her eyes as Natalia traced the final line from the first two victims, "So far we have a straight line across the city. The last victim was in the final section that belonged to the Noche."

Ryan pulled a face, now came the hard part, "If Horatio is the target, it puts him in the PD… Here. If the Lynx is true to form, her next three kills will be near the last."

He highlighted the area carefully and then drew a straight line from that general point. Everyone in the room became silent as the final line created an X. Mich fought down the anger inside as she put the Roman numerals together, X, V, I, I.

Ryan continued, "Of course, we are assuming that she is after H and she will stay true to form, but…"

Mich interrupted, "There's only one way to find out. Thank you Ryan, you've just given me my hunting ground for tonight."

Turning, she walked out of the lab, pausing only to give Horatio a soft kiss and hug before she left. The team stared after her, bemused by her abrupt departure.

&&

Horatio sat behind his desk staring out of the window, the Chief had been alerted to the fact that an assassin was after the CSI Lieutenant and now the red-head was blocked from going anywhere. Calleigh had taken over most of the field operations and as a result H was working in the lab.

Part of him didn't mind, the enforced desk duty had meant that most of his paperwork was clear and he had been able to do his favourite work in trace, becoming familiar with some of the new technology that had recently arrived.

His mind was fairly well occupied – except while he was waiting for results. The inactivity frustrated him and he began to brood. Mich had returned to the barn to teach her lessons, but he knew her mind would already be forming plans for that night.

A soft tap on his door made him look up, his face hardening as he saw the man standing in the doorway. Rick Stetler though his face showed concern seemed relaxed, almost nonchalant as he walked into the room.

"Is everything ok Horatio?"

"Why shouldn't it be? As soon as this assassin gets taken down, I'll be able to get on with my job properly."

"But that cannot be guaranteed – I've seen the CIA report Horatio, I know how dangerous this woman is. She's going to keep coming after you Horatio."

Horatio bit his lip before answering, "and your point is?"

"You may never be able to run your team properly Horatio, always looking over your shoulder when you go out into the field. It will affect your performance. That is a concern of the department."

"I've been threatened before Rick, it didn't stop me then, and it isn't going to stop me now." Horatio spoke through gritted teeth, "I have complete faith in my team and the operative that has come down to catch the assassin."

"I wish I shared your belief Horatio, your team are good, that I won't deny, but the CIA? They're just using you as bait – they won't care if anything happens to you, or do you know something I don't"

Horatio was about to respond when Stetler spoke again, "By the way, I couldn't help but notice Mich was here this morning, I hope she doesn't compromise any cases. I can understand her concern, but…"

Horatio had heard enough, standing up he fixed the taller man with a glare, "Mich's reasons for being here are none of your concern, as for the case, its on a need to know basis – and you don't need to know."

Staring Stetler down he continued, "Now, don't you have anything better to do than wander around the lab putting your nose in where it isn't wanted? Or do you have so little work to do you have to create something to justify your employment?"

The IAB sergeant said nothing, but turned and left, a small smirk on his face.

**

Glancing up, the Chief of the Dade County PD noticed the approach of Sergeant Rick Stetler and grimaced. IAB officers were not the most popular of people, but this particular member of that department had a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way.

One thing the Chief was good at was reading his people – and at the moment his best Lieutenant was having a minor crisis. Horatio was not a man that liked to sit around and allow others to get in the front line, he led his team by example not asking them to do any more than he would do himself and the Chief respected him for it.

Horatio's frustration had been noticed by his boss, and the Chief wasn't happy about it. He needed his CSI supervisor to be on top form at all times… One thing that the Chief disliked about his job was the politics he had to play – but over the past few years he had become a master – and that included manipulating those around him, especially those that were ambitious.

Putting a mask on his face, the Chief hid his real emotions as the sergeant walked into the room, "How is Horatio doing?"

"Frustrated, as can be expected. He didn't seem too impressed by my questions about his partner though, refused to answer them, and when I said that I would be prepared to run the team for him if he needed some time off, he became a little abrasive."

The Chief concealed a smile, "To be expected, Lieutenant Caine is very close to his people. Well, thank you for the update, I'll contact you later this week if I need you out in the field."

As the IAB officer left, the Chief allowed his relief to show. Rick Stetler would do anything to get his hands on Horatio's position, and the Chief knew it. He also knew of the animosity between the two men. Chuckling to himself, he knew that Rick's visit to Horatio's office would leave the CSI Lieutenant distracted enough from the case to relax a little, but angry enough to start fighting back when necessary – which is exactly what the Chief wanted.

The best part was that Rick Stetler had no idea what he had done…

&&

Mich glanced up as Horatio walked into their room, as she had started getting ready she had heard him come in through the kitchen door, heard it slam shut behind him.

"Are you ok?"

Horatio grunted, but said nothing. Rick had triggered an angry response from him and he wasn't going to take it out on Mich. As he put his jacket over the back of a chair, Mich's hands slipped gently around his waist and he could feel her head resting against his back.

"Rick Stetler…"

Mich hid a smile, Horatio had been a little lost over the last couple of days, but it seemed that today he was back to his normal self. She suspected that someone else had noticed, but would stay quiet on the matter. An annoyed Horatio was nice be around, but if he became too angry, he might just take things a little too far and try to get involved.

Slowly she began to massage his back, hearing the soft sigh that escaped his mouth before Horatio turned and pulled her close for a hug. "Thanks sweetheart."

"Anytime…"

Horatio gave a soft chuckle and gave her a soft look, "When do you have to leave?"

"Soon, why?"

"I need a shower… and would appreciate someone rubbing my back, I'm a little stiff after sitting in my chair all day."

Mich laughed, "Okay, but I can't be long." Horatio's kiss was all the thanks she needed.

&&

An hour later, she was scanning rooftops after checking in with Frank who had worriedly informed her that the Lynx had left earlier than expected. Mich wasn't bothered, if there was something she knew about Anna, aka the Lynx, is that the ex-CIA assassin was a creature of habit.

Mich was currently in the centre of her hunting ground watching the area carefully. She knew that the final two kills would happen tonight if her adversary was following her plan. She was contemplating moving to another place when movement caught her eye. Taking a deep breath, Mich sharpened her focus and gave a grim smile, the hunt was about to begin.

**

Mich had quickly covered the distance between her starting point and where she had seen the movement. Looking around she could see nothing, but her feelings told her a different story. Putting away the night vision glasses she closed her eyes for a moment, allowing her senses to take over.

The street where she was standing was silent, not even the sound of the rats could be heard. As she fine tuned her hearing, still nothing came. A soft breeze played with her hair and Mich breathed in deeply through her nose, catching the scent of… something.

Quietly, she moved into the direction of the scent, her feet making no sound on the broken tarmac. As the scent became stronger, she became more cautious. It was the scent she knew as fear, nearby someone had emptied their bladder in reaction to someone or something that had terrified them.

She paused, hearing a sound like a soft grunt then another, like a sack of potatoes falling to the floor. The sound was followed by a quiet curse and Mich's mouth became a thin grim line. Checking around the corner, she spotted the body lying on the floor, it had fallen into the light of a streetlamp and she could see the dart sticking out of the victim's neck. She crouched down, hoping that the low angle would help her to see more as the light had robbed her of most of her night vision.

She was rewarded by a soft shadow moving just the other side of the alley. Quietly she straightened up, keeping one eye closed to keep her night sight in at least one eye. She was about to move when the shadow froze.

The Lynx scanned the alley around her, something had tweaked her senses and she knew she was not alone. Cursing silently in her mind, she remained still a while longer, but whom or whatever had alerted was either gone – or as quiet as herself.

A quick glance at her watch told her that she was behind schedule, she had one more kill to make tonight before she could prepare for her final target. Slowly she slid backwards, away from the body, annoyed that she wouldn't be able to take care of her clean up.

A moment later, she was below a fire escape and effortlessly pulled herself up and retreated to higher ground.

It was Mich's turn to swear, to follow the Lynx, she would need to move out of the shadows and through the light cast by the street lamp, and she didn't want to be identified just yet. She withdrew, finding her own fire escape and began to climb.

Reaching the top, she ran quickly across the roof and spotted the Lynx making her way to the top of the higher building on the opposite side of the alley. Scanning around, she decided to return to ground level – there were no other buildings as high as the Lynx's in the area, so she would have to come down somehow.

Rappelling to the ground, Mich began to hunt around for an alternative exit that the Lynx might use.

&&

Horatio glanced at the clock and sighed, it was 3am and he hadn't managed to get a wink of sleep. Getting out of bed, he walked to the window, frowning when he saw the moon disappearing behind a cloud. The frown turned to a soft smile as the rain started, Mich loved the rain…

Feeling thirsty, he went for a drink before returning upstairs. A quiet noise startled him slightly and he told himself off for being over sensitive. Walking along the landing, he checked on the girls, Kyra was sound asleep a small smile on her face.

Amber however was wide awake. Seeing her father, she began to cry softly and opened her arms to him.

"What's up kitten? Bad dream?" The toddler nodded and clung to him, "Do you want me to stay? I'll scare away the monsters for you."

A smile from his daughter in answer made up his mind. Within minutes the little red head was fast asleep, Horatio happy that she was relaxed and comfortable. He thought about returning back to his own bed, but changed his mind.

Mich was out hunting and the thought of not being able to protect himself against an invisible enemy still frustrated him. At least he could protect his daughter from nightmares.

For a moment, he wondered what Mich was doing, then carefully he snuggled under the duvet next to Amber, who turned and snuggled in closely to her father. With a smile and a sigh Horatio finally began to drift off to sleep.

**

Mich slowly stretched her shoulders. She had been waiting in the shadows for over an hour and her muscles were protesting about the lack of movement. For a moment, her mind began to drift as her frustration began to rise. She had to catch the Lynx before her adversary could get to Horatio…

Her mind began to slip away as his image appeared in front of her, the soft smile that was always present when he was with Amber. The image changed and became more concentrated, Mich herself began to smile as the expression changed to one of animated concentration – the look reserved for when he was helping Kyra with her homework.

The image began to blur as tears began to form, what would she do if Horatio wasn't around? Certainly she was not as she used to be – the anger had died away, but her instincts as the Wolf had not. She would never return to the streets as a way to combat her frustration and depression, but would she cope?

Horatio had become the rock she could lean on, the shoulder she could cry on, the person she could talk to about anything and not be judged – although talking about her past was still difficult. Without him she would survive – she had to for the sake of her girls – but beyond survival, all she could see was a black void.

The tears slowly began to slide down her cheek as she continued her vigil.

&&

The Lynx quietly began to move. She stretched and felt several bones in her back crack and cursed silently, she really was getting too old for this climbing around on roof tops lark. For a moment she was lost in thought, her mind scanning through the few hours since she had left her motel room.

That she had been followed was no doubt in her mind, her senses so fine tuned, she had picked up on the slight movement here and there. It was why she had remained on the rooftop for such a long time. Whoever had been following her was a specialist, of that she had no doubt.

Pausing inside the stair well to make sure all was quiet, she pondered on the mystery. Who would have the necessary skills to track her so well in an urban environment? Only the CIA and Mossad had designated 'hunters' whose job it was to track down rogue agents.

Reaching the ground floor, she paused again and frowned. The CIA and Mossad hunters were easy to spot, this person wasn't… As she stepped outside the door into the shadow, she glanced around releasing her senses outward trying to see if she had lost her tail.

Sensing nothing she was about to move when a thought crossed her mind. What if the person tailing her wasn't a 'hunter'… Who else could it be… Frustration began to rise as her mind began to solve the riddle… Another such as she… Another assassin would know the moves, know what to look for.

She waited a full ten minutes before she began to move. In her mind only seven people had the skill to track her so silently. Her old contact at CIA had informed her that three of those were missing in action – presumed dead. Two others were working in Columbia, slowly but surely eliminating members of the cartels. How they had got their information was currently under speculation, but the Lynx had her own ideas about that one – and the person in her mind was conveniently serving life behind the bars of a British jail.

The final two were supposedly retired, but no-one ever remained retired in her line of work. Taking a step forward, her mind caused her to pause once more. The thought of Robert Franks in a UK jail had raised a final possibility…

Straightening up, her lips drawn in a tight thin line, she scanned the area once more. Then making a decision she began to move to her next destination.

"So, the Wolf has come out to play… Let's play catch."

**

Mich almost didn't notice the Lynx leaving the building she was so caught up in her thoughts. However, once more her instincts kicked in just in time.

Quietly she followed her adversary, always moving slowly but surely through the shadows. She saw the Lynx pause for a moment before the older woman carried on and duplicated her movements, step by step. The only difference was – she knew the ground, the territory.

Glancing around, she spotted the condo where she had killed Ramon Cruz's right hand man, but could not remember his name. She was thankful for that, she definitely would have been unable to come out of her depression, her psychosis if she could remember the names…

The Lynx paused again and glanced around. Mich frowned, this was not like her at all, which meant only one thing… She knew she was being followed.

&&

The Lynx held her breath, hoping to hear something... anything, but there was no sound she could identify. She cursed slightly, knowing that she had not been able to lose her tail. Dammit, the Wolf had gotten good…

She wanted to turn around, retrace her steps, confront the woman she believed was following her, but a glance at her watch showed that she was running out of dark time… She hated working at night, but that had been one of the conditions of this job. As had the weekend restriction.

She was surprised by the 'rules' that had been set out, but her employer had informed her it would be a sure fire way to attract the PD – and the Lieutenant's - attention. Doing a little research of her own, she had found out about the two year old cold case – and done a little investigating of her own.

That the murders had been done by a paid assassin was clear to her almost immediately, but it took her another day to realise that it was not just an ordinary contract kill, but a systematic black ops mission. The only thing she couldn't work out was who had done the job. No-one she knew had the skill with katana blades that this assassin did.

She moved on. She had to get this final kill within the next half hour, or her record would be spoilt. At least for her contract the last name on her list would be at a time of her choosing… She had already chosen the place. The Noche had asked for the kill to be visible… To send fear into the PD… To send the clearest message possible.

Ten minutes later, she was in position, her target in sight.

&&

Mich looked carefully around, seeing the Lynx settle into position. She watched carefully as her old trainer prepared for her moment. She swore, knowing she would not be able to warn the people on the other side of the road. If she did, the Lynx would get away – and quite possibly aim at Mich as she did so. Knowing how accurate the ex-CIA agent was with her crossbow it was a chance she could not take.

How could she help Horatio and the team if she was dead?

Her anger began to rise with the feeling of helplessness as the Lynx moved closer to her target. Three youths were gathered together, joking about something or other, not knowing that Death was walking among them. She could not prevent one of them losing a life – that she knew – but she could help the team gain evidence…

Taking out her throwing stars, she moved forwards carefully, knowing she had to time her strike to perfection. The Lynx was slightly angled to her position, and in the darkness a difficult target – especially as there was a streetlamp blurring her vision.

&&

The Lynx raised her small crossbow, already fitted with a dart and took aim. Gently she squeezed the trigger, watching the small projectile launch through the darkness and find its mark. However, there was no satisfaction, no time to savour the kill, no time to clean up.

The other two youths had run as soon as their friend had dropped to the ground, but the Lynx was not happy – far from it. In fact, she was in pain – serious pain. Something had sliced through her left shoulder as she had squeezed the trigger, almost putting her off her shot and she could feel the blood trickling down her arm.

She ran… Without looking back, she ran, feeling another slice to the back of her left hand.

&&

Mich cursed loudly, knowing she had hit her target. For a moment she was about to chase the Lynx when something stopped her.

"Help me…"

Mich was startled by the rasping voice and turned – the victim was still alive. Looking up the street, she realised that she didn't know where the Lynx had gone in that brief moment. Swearing, she turned to the young gang member and dropped to her knees beside him.

Tears began to flow down her cheeks when she noticed in the light of the street lamp he was barely in his late teens. The dart had struck him in the arm and Mich knew the toxin was doing its deadly work by the shaking she could feel as she caught his hand.

The boys breathing began to falter and Mich grabbed his hand tightly. Looking up, the youth also began to cry, "Please, help me… Tell mom I'm sorry… Please…"

Mich closed her eyes as the hand went limp, "I am so, so sorry…" Standing up slowly, she saw the dawn beginning to break and took her cell phone out of its place. "Frank? Get her…"

Quickly, she found her two throwing stars and hid them away, before returning to the body and calling Calleigh, whom she knew would be on her way to the lab by now. Dropping to her knees, she picked up the hand, her tears disappearing to be replaced by a cold cold fury. "I won't leave you alone in the dark baby, your killer will pay. That I promise."

**

Horatio paused at the entrance to his office, he had received a call from Calleigh to say that the 16th murder had occurred and that Mich was still hunting. Slowly he turned to see people quickly drop their heads to their work pretending that they were busy.

He grimaced, bad news in a crime lab travelled fast. He tried to look unconcerned, but his reflection in a window gave away the stress he was feeling. Once more he glanced around and sighed as he saw the expressions around the lab.

One person who could not hide his concern was Eric. As Horatio walked closer to where the young Cuban was examining a set of fingerprints and put his head around the door.

"Need any help?"

Eric gave him a wry smile, "Well, come to think of it, a fresh pair of eyes might just help me close this part of my case…"

Horatio gave him a thankful look, pleased to be doing something. For a short time, both kept a companiable silence, but after a while he heard the younger man sigh.

"Any news?"

Eric shook his head, "Calleigh and Ryan are out working the body with Alexx. Natalia was with them, but all I know was that she came flying back in here with a small evidence bag and is rushing something through DNA."

His boss pulled a face, not happy that he was being kept out of the loop, knowing that it was only going to get worse if the Lynx wasn't caught. He hadn't quite decided what was worse, the forced inactivity, or the fact that Mich was out alone, hunting for a target that in the past she hadn't been able to catch.

&&

Natalia looked closely into her microscope paying close attention to the sample she had in front of her. The scrap of material was very small, and Mich had indicated that she wasn't confident that it would carry any DNA at all.

She and Calleigh had remained quiet as Natalia had bagged the evidence and watched quietly as she inspected the area where the throwing stars had embedded themselves in the side of a wooden door. She had swabbed the whole area completely, but nothing had come up. The scrap of material was all she had.

A second later, a triumphant smile crossed her face and she carefully dissected the material, returning some to the evidence bag after photographing it carefully. Then she returned to her table, sending the remainder through her instruments to extract the DNA.

&&

Detective Frank Tripp was a serious man when it came to his job. He prided himself at being thorough and though he and Horatio had originally gotten off to a shaky start, they had become good friends and respected each other a great deal.

After receiving Mich's call, he moved without hesitation to close down the Lynx's motel room. He and his stake-out team had seen her arrive back and had moved into position. At a pre-arranged signal, a SWAT team member went through the flimsy door.

SWAT had been unable to release a full team to assist him, but he had four members in key positions with plenty of back – up from patrol. As they went through the motel room, Frank began to get concerned, the whole place was a mess and his officers had to be careful as they picked their way through clothes and equipment.

"Don't touch anything and be careful where you put your feet."

His warning was well heeded as Mich had briefed them all carefully – wearing one of her best disguises - and a few officers moved outside to give space to others. Carefully, Frank moved to the bathroom where he could hear the water running. The SWAT team leader took a small scope out of his pack and slowly scanned under the door.

He gave Frank a short nod to indicate they were clear to move on. The Texan opened the door and the two of them entered quickly, calling out as they moved. There was no answer. No response.

Gingerly, Frank pulled aside the shower curtain – again nothing…

Frank swore, loudly. Lifting his cell, he hit a speed dial number. "Mich? She's gone…"

The SWAT team leader glanced at his colleague. Frank's temper was known to carry the force of a summer storm, but this time it seemed that the detective was ready to take on a hurricane. He took a deep breath knowing that the hurricane was on its way and he was glad he wouldn't be the one facing it.


	8. Queens gambit

_I hope you are enjoying this story as it draws to a close - but don't worry, it isn't over just yet. More questions than answers, but at least H and Mich get a moment to themselves._

_Warning, the end of this chapter is definitely **M **rated...._

_Lucy_

Mich looked carefully around. She had arrived at the scene within minutes of Frank's call, making him wonder how far away she had actually been. Eric had also received a call as was on his way.

Frank looked on quietly, with just a soft answer or query here and there. He was intrigued by the way Mich was working. Used to seeing the CSI's ply their trade, he knew that she was looking for something, but could not for the life of him think what it was.

"Frank?"

Mich's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked in her direction.

"Has anyone touched anything at all in here, or possibly moved anything by accident?"

Frank shook his head, "Everyone was real careful Mich – especially after you explained how the Lynx could booby trap the whole place."

"Good, cause I think you'd better get the bomb squad out here."

Frank's eyes opened wide, "Sure, thing. You found something?"

Mich nodded and carefully lifted the bed cover from where it was touching the floor. Even from where he was standing near the door, Frank could see the timer counting down under the bed. As he turned to move – he glanced at Mich. "Sure you want to stay here?"

She chuckled, "I need to start working out how it was primed – and maybe have a good look at the timer, then I can help to defuse it. I have about an hour judging by the timer."

A quiet voice came from the doorway, startling both of them "Move over sweetheart – it's my turn." Horatio stepped into the room, his face full of frustration that was now being replaced by curiosity."

Frank went outside and contacted the squad, while Horatio carefully squatted down next to Mich, who gave him a searching look. She sighed before speaking softly as Horatio scrutinised the device. "You shouldn't be here honey."

Horatio gave her a wry smile, "I know, but I was going insane in the lab… Even helping the guys out with their cases wasn't helping me to calm down."

Mich returned the smile and shook her head, "You shouldn't have come… But I can understand why you did. You do realise she's close by."

It was Horatio's turn to be startled, "How do you…?"

"Because there's a whole load of stuff under this bed that the Lynx wants."

Horatio's eyebrows almost raised into his hairline, "so why put a bomb in here?"

Mich grinned, "Its not a 'bomb' kind of bomb… More likely an incendiary type of device. She's hoping we'll set it off so we'll run – then she'll come back for her stuff."

Horatio looked under the bed and saw a large metal box that looked oddly familiar, with a start, he realised it was similar to the one Mich had for her equipment. "Won't it get damaged in the heat? Surely she wouldn't come back through the flames to get it…?"

Mich chuckled at his questions, "No and Yes… The box is protected on the inside so the heat and flames won't affect what's inside, and that's why I said she's not far away – she's prepared to do anything to get her gear back."

Her voice became quiet and reflective, "I would have done the same."

Horatio reached out and touched her hand gently, receiving a tender look in return, "So why the bomb squad?"

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't wrong."

Horatio stared at her incredulously, then quietly he began to chuckle. Slowly the chuckle became louder as the stress of the past few weeks began to ease away. Within a few seconds, both he and Mich were in fits of laughter, much to the disgust of the Bomb squad officer that came in through the door.

"I fail to see what you think is so funny, now if you don't mind, could you both clear out so I can do my job?"

**

Mich raised her eyebrow at Horatio who nodded his head towards the door. As they walked outside, Mich whispered, "What's his problem?"

Horatio sighed and shook his head, "Dale never did like me around when he was working, said I always put him off."

Mich gave him a surprised look, "I thought you guys in the Bomb squad were like family?"

"We were… Dale always thought of me as the pain in the ass younger brother."

"He was jealous of you…"

Horatio shrugged his shoulders, "Al put him on a different shift, so we never had to work together – when I moved to CSI it was even better."

The next moment, the two of them dropped to the floor as a warning came from inside and Dale came out of the door. Landing on the floor next to Horatio, he looked sideways, "Counter suddenly went from 30 minutes to 5 seconds."

Mich gave him a scornful look, "Five seconds have passed, so what happened?"

The two men raised their heads and looked slowly behind them. Mich waited no longer and jumped up, walking back to the door she ignored Dales warning and peeked around. What she saw made her swear and run quickly inside.

Dale turned to Horatio, "Is she f…ing crazy?"

Horatio ignored his former colleague and followed Mich inside, where he found her half underneath a burning bed.

"Jesus Mich!"

"Oh quit the swearing Horatio and drag me out, or would you rather the Lynx get her stuff back?"

Horatio shook his head, but quickly pulled Mich out from under the bed by her ankles, spotting that she had grabbed the case. He quickly caught hold of one end as she stood and picked up the other and they left the burning room.

As the two of them emerged, coughing a little from the smoke, they found Eric waiting, a concerned look on his face. A look which changed quickly into disgust, "I don't know who's worse, the Lynx or you two. You got a death wish or something?"

Horatio gave Eric a wry look, "I seem to remember Frank saying the same thing a short while ago."

"Yeah, well maybe he was right."

Mich gave Eric a curious look, she expected Eric to be worried, but even for him this level of concern was more than she expected. The younger man spotted the look and abruptly turned on his heel and walked away.

"What's up with him?"

Horatio dropped his head, "I forced him to bring me here – he's not happy about it."

Mich sighed, "Then we'd better get you back to the lab Horatio, if it'll keep the team happy."

"You don't seem so worried…"

For a moment he wished he'd said nothing, the pain in Mich's eyes instantly showing at his words. Then he quietly lead the way back to the Hummer while two patrol offers carefully carried the Lynx's box under Mich's scrutiny.

Back at the lab, she would discover the answers to the questions burning in her mind.

**

Horatio sat in his chair seething with anger. On their return to the lab he, Eric and Mich had been met by Rick Stetler who had taken exception to Mich's presence. He had instructed Mich and Eric to continue with their work, while he faced the younger man down and it had taken all his self control not to punch the IA detective.

Paula, manning her station at reception had frowned slightly sensing the atmosphere changing. Along with the rest of the lab she disliked Rick Stetler intensely. She still couldn't work out Mich's position in the order of things but over the last few weeks had begun to realise that the Lt's girlfriend was not all that she seemed.

Seeing Mich enter with Eric, looking more like a member of SWAT than the regular members of that small select group made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She had heard rumours of a CIA specialist coming down to look for the rogue assassin and now had her own thoughts on the matter.

As the discussion between Stetler and Horatio grew heated, she quietly lifted her handset and called the Chief, who had been asked to be alerted of any problems involving the Lt. She was surprised by how fast he answered the call.

Within seconds after his arrival, the chief had separated the other two men and they had stalked off in opposite directions, Stetler completely confused, Horatio angry. Going into the ballistics part of the lab, he was stunned to find Calleigh relegated to standing outside of a locked door.

"Mich won't let me in or anyone else either."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

Horatio knocked on the door, Mich glanced up and shook her head, shooing him away. He knocked again, indicating that he wanted to come in. Still Mich refused and he had stalked off to his office muttering under his breath.

Calleigh was about to follow when she saw Mich carefully investigating the outside of the case with first a pen light, then a maglite and her curiosity overcame her need to sympathise with her boss. She watched, stunned as Mich began an inch by inch inspection of the case.

&&

Horatio wasn't the only person who was angry. The Lynx fell back on the bed of her secondary accommodation – a motel several miles south of the first. At least she knew that for the moment she was safe. She had seen Mich and the lieutenant come out of the house and then flicked the switch on the device causing the timer to jump and fire early.

At the same time she had moved into a position to get into the hotel through the back, knowing that she would not be seen in the smoke billowing out through the window. She had felt a little smug when she had identified the Wolf as being the black suited figure that had stalked her that night, but it soon changed to anger when she spotted Mich inside the room reaching for the case under the bed. She could do nothing but move to her present location.

She flinched as a slight movement caused her shoulder to react. The blade that had sliced the back of her hand had caused no more than a thin cut, and it was nothing serious. Her shoulder was a different matter. The cut was deep and even though she had treated it as quickly as she could, the blood was still seeping slowly through the gauze.

Moving to the bathroom, she inspected the gauze and swore loudly. Taking it off she grimaced as the blood flowed briefly down her arm. At least it was a clean cut. Opening a small first aid case, she took out the needle and thread she had prepared earlier.

Ten minutes later she was back on the bed willing herself to sleep. She had taken a couple of painkillers and her arm was now numb. Making a mental check she frowned when she remembered that all of her spare darts were inside the case, as were several other items that she might have needed. Analysing her mental list, she realised that there was only one item of equipment that she could use to complete her task.

Closing her eyes she just had one final question…

**

Calleigh's eyes narrowed, for the life of her she couldn't think why Mich would take so long over scrutinising a metal box. As a CSI, she would certainly be careful, methodical and attentive, but… She also couldn't understand why Mich had locked them all out of the ballistics lab.

At that moment Mich stood up and gave a big sigh and walked over to the door. Unlocking it, she found the petite blonde giving her a curious look and chuckled. "Still can't work it out?"

Calleigh had to shake her head. This was one situation that she didn't understand. Mich smiled, "Ok, come over here – but stand behind me – and whatever you do, don't touch the box…"

Calleigh did what she was told, peeking around the older woman, "Why?"

Her eyes grew wide as Mich depressed the catch carefully with the end of a long ruler, stunned to see a blade flick out of the lid. It was moving so fast it sliced the ruler neatly in half. "Booby trap?"

"And it's not the only one. Fortunately, the Lynx didn't put any kid of explosive traps in here." Slowly, Mich worked around the case setting off the other traps – all of which consisted of blades moving at speed at different angles.

"So how the hell do you open it?" Calleigh's face was confused, though now she understood why Mich hadn't wanted anyone else working with her.

Mich chuckled, "Carefully… Anyone from the bomb squad would have gone looking for wires like this one – and had their hand sliced off."

Calleigh nodded, "so first you have to trigger all the blades, then check for any explosive devices."

"Exactly – and the last thing I needed was any of you lot breathing down my neck – especially Horatio."

The blonde Southerner smiled, "This is really rough on him. Being the protectee and not the protector is not what he does."

Mich nodded, "Either way, it will be over soon. Watch your eyes…" The next moment, a bright light filled the small lab.

"Magnesium flare?"

The former MI5 agent nodded, "One thing about the Lynx is her methodology. She doesn't change. Which is what is going to help me."

"How?"

Mich grimaced, "From what is inside this box, I can work out how she's going to try and kill Horatio."

Completely removing the lid she slowly began removing what was inside. She counted the poisoned darts carefully and realised that the crossbow was out. Only one dagger blade was missing, but that was a close quarter weapon and Mich didn't think that her adversary would go quite that far.

She handed the Sig to Calleigh with a box of ammunition, "I' think you'll find that you'll get a match with those from the earlier murders. The ballistics expert nodded, but didn't move just yet. "Well?"

Mich swore, from her knowledge of the Lynx, there were two weapons missing. One close quarter, the other long distance. She suspected that the Lynx would use the latter for Horatio, but the former would prevent her from being captured easily.

"Cal, can you get me round the clock video surveillance from all the buildings taller than the PD. Lets say a range up to 1000 metres?"

&&

The Lynx moved carefully around her chosen location. At the time she had planned to make the hit, the sun would be behind her, obscuring anyone's field of vision, but give her a highlighted target. Lying down on the roof, she looked carefully through her glasses, watching the people moving to and fro.

She could see the Lieutenant's office, but for the last couple of weeks the blinds had been permanently lowered – the first hint that maybe the PD had realised who her target was. With the blinds down, she could not tell if he was in his office or not.

Occasionally she had seen a faint shadow, but had been unable to work out who it was. In her pride she had turned away from the shot – though it would have sent a spectacular message if she had managed to do it – as the Noche had requested.

She would go for the easier, and much more public, outdoor shot. Waiting for the Lieutenant to arrive or depart at the appropriate time, and take him down in full view of everyone. She smiled as she mentally went through her movement, then frowned. With her shoulder strapped up and still in pain, she would have less flexibility, but would be ok.

Her frown became more pronounced as she continued thinking. What the hell was the Wolf doing here? She had heard that the MI5 agent had dropped of the map – retired. Had the CIA requested her help? Mich was the only agent that had ever got close to her in the past, but she had always managed to get away.

She gritted her teeth, determined that she would do so again.

**

Horatio watched Mich carefully. For the past couple days, she had seemed calm enough on the outside, conducting her lessons in her normal fashion, while the rest of the team hunted the Lynx. After the girls had gone to bed, she would check her messages – usually from Eric and Calleigh, updating her on what they had found.

He felt completely frustrated, any time he walked near her, she would switch to another screen, hiding their reports from him. If he tried to talk about it, she would completely ignore him, refusing to tell him what was going on.

"Mich I need to know…"

She shook her head once more. "No Horatio, the team are under orders from the chief to say nothing – and that goes for me too."

"But if I know – maybe I can do something to help, I know the Noche as well as anyone, if not better."

"And maybe you'll do something that will change your routine – something that will give the Lynx an edge. She doesn't need much of a chance Horatio and she will take it."

Horatio sighed. From the tone of Mich's voice, he knew he would not be able to persuade her any other way. Quietly he went upstairs and went to bed – not ready to sleep, but needing to occupy his mind with something. An article in the latest medical journal relating to DNA attracted his attention and he picked up his reading glasses. Fleetingly the thought crossed his mind that he really should start taking them with him to the lab.

Downstairs, Mich closed her eyes in pain, knowing how Horatio must be hurting being closed out by everyone he was close to. After another day in the lab, the only thing Calleigh and Eric could report was confirmation of the Lynx's DNA profile. They had also picked up a few prints from the room at the motel.

CIA weren't too happy about that, because it would mean that all police departments would now be able to access those prints, should they wish. Mich didn't care about that – in fact, she had suggested that the team deliberately send the details to all their CSI counterparts across the country – and immigration. If she didn't catch the Lynx now, she would make sure someone could…

After checking the remainder of her mailbox, she closed her laptop and sighed. Part of her wanted to join Horatio, but a darker more angry side urged her to go out into the night and continue the hunt. Frank had been checking out motels all over the local area and found nothing so far, but it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Quietly she went upstairs, her mind still torn, not knowing what to do. She paused at the entrance to the bedroom, seeing Horatio reading. Once more, her face grimaced in pain with the knowledge that if the Lynx wasn't found…

Horatio glanced up, suddenly aware that he was being watched. Though Mich tried to put a smile on her face, he had seen her pain. Putting his reading glasses and the magazine to one side, he slipped out of bed and walked quietly across the room.

As he wrapped his arms around his partner, Mich could no longer hold back the tears that had threatened to fall almost every night since she had began hunting the Lynx. Horatio said nothing, knowing that if he made light of the situation, Mich would begin to slide into darkness, her frustration at not being able to catch the Lynx causing her anger to surface.

Mich buried her head into Horatio's chest thankful for his silence, knowing he understood her frustration. As the tears eased off, she tried to lock the moment into her mind. The feel of Horatio's arms holding her tightly, the scent of him – not the smell of the aftershave, but the natural clean odour of the man he was.

She felt the soft kiss that landed on the top of her head, providing her with the knowledge that he understood her feelings. Looking up, she saw his eyes, concerned, watching her carefully and behind that concern, the love that was always there – had been there for a while now.

She sighed as Horatio's arms changed position, still holding her tightly, but now embracing and comforting rather than consoling. She again added this to her memories of him – hoping that they would never become that, hoping that their future would last beyond the day after tomorrow…

The tears began to fall once more.

Horatio's voice came softly to her ears, "Come to bed Mich… There's nothing more you can do right now. Tomorrow is another day."

She tried to resist slightly, deny his words, but Horatio slid his hand underneath her chin and lifted it gently, giving her a soft kiss. "I know you feel the need to go hunting, but I want you with me. I want to hold you until you fall asleep."

"I want to feel that although there are circumstances out of my control, I am still the man you love, still the man that protects you from your worst enemy."

Allowing herself to be led across the room, Mich undressed slowly and followed Horatio into bed, as she did so, a soft smile slowly appeared on her face, "You are, and always will be…"

**

The Lynx paced around her motel room gnawing at a finger nail, in a few hours, she would need to get into position, or risk being spotted by the public. However, there were a couple of things on her mind that threatened her whole operation.

Firstly, the inability to clean up after her last kill would undoubtedly cause her future problems. If the slice in her shoulder was anything to go by, and the crime lab was as good as she had heard, then she had to assume that they had her DNA from the material torn from her shirt that would have her blood on it.

Also, the PD might have collected her fingerprints from her former motel room. That in itself was a minor handicap, she had plenty of ways to get in and out of the country without being caught. Though she knew that after Miami, she had better lay low for a while.

Then there was the fact that she had lost her equipment case – some of her tools had been in her possession for many years and losing them was almost like losing a treasured heirloom from a family member.

Last, but by no means least, there was the Wolf…

She sat on the edge of her bed. Her informant had confirmed that the Wolf was retired – had been for several years, so why was she here? The dark haired woman sighed and glanced in the dressing table mirror. For a moment she saw the grey hairs that had started to appear and frowned. Age was catching up with her, but she was determined to keep going. Just two more jobs and she could retire herself.

Glancing at the clock she sighed and got her things together and made her way to her vantage point. By the time she got there, she was exhausted. She hadn't slept for nearly 24 hours and the painkillers that she had taken to eliminate the pain in her shoulder were also affecting her senses.

What didn't help was that she hadn't eaten properly, and had drank only what was necessary for her survival. Used to the conditions, her body would go into shutdown until she required it to move. Taking up her position, she checked the time and smiled softly. She would sleep for as long as her body required, uncomfortable as she was on the rooftop, the ghillie suit reflecting the sunlight.

By sleeping, she would not need to eat or drink until nightfall and the cooler night would help her energy to recharge. Then, the following morning, she would be ready.

&&

Mich took up station in the new AV lab. In her hand a magnifying glass that she had borrowed from Eric scanned the pictures in front of her. The AV tech had shown her how to use the new system, but she preferred the old technique. Digital pictures were great, but occasionally they did not show what she was looking for.

Calleigh had been curious about her earlier request to have aerial photos of all the buildings around the PD, but as was her habit, she had kept things to herself. The blonde ballistics expert had left, a little annoyed at being closed out, but Eric was watching closely from his area and stopped her.

"Why won't she tell us what she's looking for? Doesn't she think we're good enough to help?"

Eric sighed, "Remember what happened when her friend Thomas was killed?" Calleigh shook her head, it was not a case she had worked on, so she only knew the basic details. "When she and H found his friend Nicki unconscious in the truck, she told H that if we didn't catch the perp, she would…"

"It's getting personal…"

Eric gave her a sad smile, "For Mich it's been personal from the beginning – it's amazing that she's allowed us in this much. Even H is stunned by it."

Calleigh thought about Eric's point of view and realised that he was right. They both knew that Mich had worked as a lone agent for MI5, though not what her role had been. She returned Eric's smile with one of her own, "So why did she let us in? Because of H?"

Eric nodded, "Partly… But I think it's also because we've become her family… Somehow we've earned her loyalty and trust."

"But not enough to help her now…"

Eric dropped his head, "I don't think this is a trust issue for Mich Cal… I think she's afraid to get us further involved, she doesn't want us to get hurt."

Calleigh snorted, "She's as bad as H…"

Eric chuckled, "Which is why I happen to think they're just right for each other – especially since they seemed to have sorted things out between themselves."

The two gave Mich a final glance before carrying on with their work, praying that she would find the answers she was looking for.

**

Horatio was also watching Mich closely. The way she scrutinised every picture centimetre by centimetre made him smile softly, her attention to detail and focus on the job rousing his admiration. He wanted to walk over and join her – help her in her search – but prevented himself from doing so. Mich would not appreciate it, she would probably stop working because of his presence, not wanting him to find out what he was doing.

His anger surged to the surface almost making him slam his fist down on the table. He wanted to be part of this, wanted to take charge of his life instead of skulking around. Over the last couple of days, a police helicopter had tracked him to work and back home again and he wondered if that had been the Chief's idea or Mich's. He knew he would never find out.

As he watched, a messenger arrived with yet another set of prints for Mich to scrutinize. Unable to take the enforced inactivity any longer, he walked to the lab and spoke quietly from the door.

"Need any help?"

Mich looked up over her shoulder, the expression on her face distinctly annoyed, though her eyes told a different story. Soft and concerned, he realised that if the target were anyone else she would have accepted his offer. He stepped into the room and Mich turned to face him.

"Horatio…"

"Why Mich… Why won't you let me help, I know more about the Mala Noche than anyone…"

Mich sighed, "Because this is not about the Noche Horatio… Yes, they have put out the hit on you, and you would be able to find out exactly who did it. This is about the Lynx, and what she will do to complete her mission. You know nothing about her and she is the enemy, the danger you are facing."

Horatio scowled, his anger coming to the fore his voice rising in volume, "Damn it Mich, I cannot sit around here doing nothing…" Her hand on his cheek made him pause and calm down slightly, "Are you sure there is nothing…"

Mich shook her head, but the soft smile on her face made him pause, "What?"

"You are helping…"

H was confused, "How…?"

"By being close by… Your presence is enough to help me keep my focus, keep me working calmly… If you had not been here, I would have lost my temper several times over already and most of these pictures would have gone out of the window."

"I will have an answer Horatio… Even if I have to work for the rest of the day and all night, I will find it."

&&

It was 5pm when she spotted a hint of something, scrutinising the picture more carefully she grimaced, but still wasn't a hundred percent sure. Quietly, she left the AV lab nodding to the officer who had been sent to watch over her, "Make sure no-one disturbs my work, I'm just taking a short break."

Quietly she went to a tall building behind the PD and made her way to the roof. She pulled her field glasses from her pocket and looked around carefully. The glasses were those she had used in her missions – anti glare so the sunlight would not reflect off them, though the sun was behind her and setting slowly.

That knowledge startled her for a moment when she realised that the Lynx was probably preparing for a morning kill. Focusing her attention to one particular building, she pulled a face, she still couldn't be sure – and she wasn't going there otherwise the Lynx could be surprised into making an early move.

Mich swore to herself, her equipment was at home, if it had been at the PD she would have gone to the other building right now, but she could not take that chance. The Lynx had only two weapons with her – one to kill Horatio, the other for self defence and she was lethal with both. Going up against her unarmed was not only foolish – it was downright insane.

Returning to the lab, she once again turned her attention to the photographs, oblivious to everything around her. She could see nothing, but her instinct told her a different story… A touch on her shoulder made her jump and she found herself staring into Horatio's eyes.

"Are you ok? I called you three times."

Mich dropped her head, "Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"You found something?"

Mich shook her head, "I'm not sure, maybe, but…"

Horatio sighed, "You need a break Mich, you could be seeing ghosts…" he tried to lead her away from the table and out of the room.

"Horatio, I've got to…"

"No. It's 8pm Mich, you have to come home… Rest, if necessary try again tomorrow with fresh eyes, now you won't see anything."

Mich tried to resist him, but the look on his face made her give in. She tried to tell him that tomorrow would be too late, but his finger on her lips prevented her from speaking. Silently she followed Horatio out to their SUV her mind screaming at her to do something, but Horatio gave her a look that held her in thrall and she had to comply.

**

Amber was already asleep when they arrived home, Sarah leaving the moment they walked through the door. The young nanny was happy to get the overtime, but she could sense how tired her employers were and wondered what was going on.

Kyra also noticed the sombre mood they were in. Knowing only that her mum was trying to help Horatio with something at the PD she remained silent, going to her room shortly after they had arrived home. While Horatio went upstairs to shower, Mich put together a light snack for them both.

It was about 10pm by the time they were both ready to relax on the sofa, but after just a few moments, Mich stood and walked to her laptop. She had sent the two pictures which had intrigued her to a secure e-mail account and wanted to continue comparing them.

Horatio pulled a face. Enough was enough.

Walking across the room, he pulled the plug, causing Mich to look up angrily. "What the hell…?"

Horatio caught her arm and pulled her out of the chair, "Stop… Now."

"But…"

"No more Mich, what's going to happen is going to happen whether we like it or not. However, I will not have you driving yourself insane, trying to find answers which are not there."

Mich buried her head into Horatio's chest, the frustration inside bringing tears to her eyes, not able to speak. Horatio held her close, understanding how she felt, his own frustration also coming to the surface. Feeling Mich beginning to shake, he realised that her frustration was being replaced by anger.

As she tried to pull away from him, he saw the Wolf in her eyes and gritted his teeth. Only now would he know if had really succeeded in defeating Mich's alter ego.

"Let me go Horatio."

"No, I want you here, with me…"

Mich glared at him and tried to break free of his grasp, but he held her fast. For a moment, the anger flared in Mich's eyes, but her then head dropped and she gave in returning her head to its position on his chest.

"Horatio, what am I going to do if…"

"Let's not talk about tomorrow shall we." Kissing the top of her head, he continued to hold her until he felt the sigh pass through her body.

Lifting her head, Mich slowly regarded the face in front of her, then lifted her hand, allowing her fingertips to gently run over Horatio's skin. Horatio remained silent, knowing that Mich was locking away each touch, each moment in her mind. A tear slid slowly down her cheek as she fought to control her emotions and he felt her pain as acutely as his own.

A soft kiss landing on the underside of his jaw brought his attention back to the moment. Softly he placed the palm of his hand on Mich's cheek, his thumb brushing away the tear that rested there. As her eyes closed in pain, he dropped his lips to hers barely touching them.

Mich's eyes flicked open, revealing them to be soft, liquid. If Horatio had ever doubted Mich's feelings for him, they would have disappeared that instant. Only he could now see deeply into her eyes, see the pain of the past, the struggle that she had endured to keep herself sane, see to the very depths of her soul.

He saw the shadows – the fears and the nightmares that still fought for control – but he also saw the brightness of Mich's hopes and dreams, her wishes and ambitions that were gaining momentum, gaining strength within her heart.

Mich stared up at the man she loved, the man she might lose the next morning yet no more tears came. It was as if she had cried herself out – even the pain had receded. For a moment H pulled her close once more, his cheek resting on the top of her head. She could feel his strength flowing from him into her and she calmed further.

Not a word was spoken as Horatio moved away, his hand catching her fingertips as he led the way upstairs. Mich followed, blushing as Horatio glanced back at her, a soft smile on his face. His smile deepened as they entered their room and Mich shyly looked up at him. It was as if the negative emotions had been stripped away completely from both of them.

He gave Mich a curious look and she blushed again, which surprised him, she was hesitant, almost nervous and he could see her catch her lip in her teeth. There was a vulnerability about her that he had never seen before and he couldn't quite work it out.

Reaching out, he removed the ever present band and slid his hand through her hair, seeing her eyes close in enjoyment. A shy smile crept across her face as he stepped closer and Mich dropped her head a little – not to deny him, but a self conscious gesture, highlighting her uncertainty.

Gently Horatio lifted her chin and stared, "Mich…?"

Mich said nothing, returning his gaze with a soft look of her own, before she closed the small distance between them and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The gesture was so soft, so childlike, that H was startled. Tentatively, he kissed her forehead and was rewarded by another blush to Mich's cheeks. He kissed the bridge of her nose and heard a teenager's impish giggle.

Totally mesmerised by the change in his partner he ventured a little further dropping soft butterfly kisses down her jaw, the soft intake of breath made him smile softly. Under all the anger and pain, finally he had found the real person underneath.

**************

M

**************

H regarded his partner with a soft gaze, seeing Mich with new eyes. The moment struck him, this was probably the only time he would ever get to see Mich like this. Part of him knew that she had always been there buried underneath, but he could not work out why she had come to the fore now… Neither did he care.

Dropping his head, he brushed his lips against hers softly. The feeling that washed over his body was not one of rampant desire, but a longing to share his love – the depth of which he was only just realising. Mich returned the kiss, equally gentle in its delivery before turning away, removing her clothes as she prepared for bed.

A pair of arms sneaked around her waist making her smile, leaning back, she felt her skin come into direct contact with Horatio's chest and knew that he had removed his shirt. She dropped her head back onto his shoulder as his arms wrapped around her body, her forehead just touching his chin, eyes closed.

After a moment she turned, placing her hand on the side of his face before giving him a soft kiss and sliding into bed. Lying on her side, she watched him as he finished undressing, then flipped back the cover as he walked across the room to join her.

Settling himself down, Horatio rolled onto his side, leaning on an elbow to look at his partner. As Mich blushed at his scrutiny, he chuckled softly and gently began to trace the fingers of his free hand around her face. Slowly, his fingertips slid along her jaw and down her neck.

Mich sighed, Horatio's touch was so soft, so light she could barely feel it. Closing her eyes, she could almost sense the smile on his face. The next moment a soft kiss landed on her cheek and she could feel him move closer, leaning gently against her side, his leg hooked over hers. She slid her arm underneath his body from where it was pinned against her side to encircle his waist, hand resting on his hip. Unconsciously her thumb softly began to stroke the skin causing Horatio to pause in his movement.

Horatio nearly started to chuckle, Mich was so relaxed under his touch that she had rolled to her back and was almost asleep. Gently he lowered his head to rest for a moment on her chest, listening to her heartbeat. Softly, he began to run his fingers down the side of her body, over her hips and down the side of her legs, hearing Mich inhale deeply as he did so.

Slowly, he returned his hand to her waist, his touch stronger, firmer, massaging the skin beneath his fingertips. Lifting his head, he saw that Mich had her eyes open, watching him, waiting for his next move. Horatio took a deep breath and dropped his lips to hers, feeling her arm tighten around his waist as the soft gentle kiss became deeper.

He no longer felt the need to possess Mich as he had a few months earlier, he had fought for her using his heart and soul, and she had given in to him unconditionally. A hand sliding through his hair brought him back to the moment and he slowly moved his lips away from Mich's mouth, drifted around her jaw and down her neck.

Mich was frozen in place, barely able to move her body ached for Horatio's touch. She wanted to hold him tightly, show him what she wanted, what she needed, but could not. It was as if his gaze had hypnotised her into stasis, though her mind knew exactly what he was doing, her senses reacting to everything he did. Horatio had complete control over what was happening and she couldn't do anything about it.

Nor did she want to. A line of kisses glided across her collarbone as his fingertips floated over her stomach and her mind once again reeled at the sensations running through her body. Horatio paused, noting the shiver that he had just sent running across her skin in all directions.

Smiling to himself, he dropped his lips to her stomach, not surprised by the gasp that came out of Mich's mouth. Slowly he returned his kisses to her mouth though he knew, instinctively, that she would rather he went elsewhere. Gently, his lips pulled at hers, his tongue occasionally dancing between them with the lightest of touches.

He paused again, running a fingertip slowly across Mich's bottom lip, noting the wondering look in her eyes. For a moment his heart ached, he wanted to say something, anything, to take away her fears of what the next day would bring, but he knew that it wouldn't help.

Mich raised her hand, sliding it through the lock of hair that always seemed to fall forwards into his eyes. She knew that he was worried for her, that he wanted to say something, but was glad he remained silent. The look in his eyes spoke volumes to her and it was all she needed. Her fingertips traced along the line of his jaw, stopping at his chin.

Horatio slid his free arm around Mich's waist, pulling her to him. She slid her one arm around his neck, the other remaining at his waist, her head dropping back as he nuzzled around her neck under her jaw, before once again their lips met.

The kiss was long and tender, deep but not bruising, both giving themselves to the other. As the kiss intensified Horatio's lips began to travel again, down her neck and along her shoulder. Mich sighed as he gave her a gentle nudge and pulled her arm out from underneath his body so she could turn. Fingertips traced lightly around her body as kisses did the same down her spine causing her skin to tingle.

She shivered as his lips began to move upward, pausing only for Horatio's fingers to gently comb away her hair slightly allowing him access to the nape of her neck. Mich inhaled deeply, it was one of her sweet spots and Horatio knew it, as was the skin just behind her ears.

A whispered request from Horatio was answered with a soft shy smile and he entered her slowly, so gently that Mich wished that he had been her first and only lover not her last. Spooned together, he kept his movement deep and slow, wanting to take his time. His arm closed around her waist pulling her tightly to him as he kissed softly behind her ear and she arched back into him whimpering softly.

Mich turned slightly in Horatio's arms, lifting a leg over his body, changing the position, allowing him deeper penetration. She sighed as his lips met hers once more, yet there was no urgency in his kiss. Horatio wanted to take his time and she certainly wasn't going to try and change his mind.

Every move he made, every sensation that passed through her body was committed to memory. Every second that passed was savoured, enjoyed and held on to. Had she been able, Mich would have stopped time, clinging on to the touch, feel and taste of the man she loved. She shivered as a fingertip lightly floated over a breast, the hand moving to cup the soft yielding skin, his thumb slowly, gently, massaging the nipple underneath.

Part of her wanted to return what he was giving, but another told her to wait –to let him have complete control, she went with the latter, sensing that it was what he wanted.

Horatio sighed, the twist in Mich's body was causing interesting reactions throughout his body, but apart from that one move she had remained submissive to his actions. For a moment he was concerned, worried that Mich was being restrained by some dark emotion, but when he paused in his movement he realised that she had given herself to him, completely and unconditionally.

Horatio closed his eyes, swamped by sudden emotion. He had had submissive partners before and had enjoyed leading them, encouraging them to become more adventurous. For Mich to be like this showed just how much she loved him, trusted him. His patience and strength had been rewarded.

He withdrew slowly from her body, seeing her bite her lip and close her eyes in reaction to the move. As she rolled to her back underneath him her eyes flicked open and closed again as he began to kiss down her body. He saw her fists clench, pulling at the sheets as he reached her stomach, continuing lower, he had to catch her hips as she began to squirm.

Horatio held her tightly, not allowing her to escape the onslaught he was about to release on her senses. As he moved ever closer to the most intimate of areas, he heard a gasp and chuckled wickedly. He had barely touched her with his lips when he heard the soft moan come from her throat.

The shudder through her body came quicker than he had expected so he paused, allowing Mich to relax for a moment or two and used the brief interlude to change his position. Lying gently on her body, he could feel the heat that he had generated and dropped another soft kiss to her mouth.

Mich could wait no longer, pulling Horatio's head to hers, she returned the kiss with one of her own, showing her desire, her tongue daring him to respond in kind. Yet, she did not demand anything, as she would have in the past, but requested, begged even, her need for him causing her body to pulse.

Horatio could no longer deny that need as he himself was caught up in the moment. Still he kept himself under control rejoining her slowly, feeling her arch underneath him. Lifting to his knees he was able to pull Mich into him more deeply, the moan from her throat louder than before.

He called to her softly, asking her to share the moment and she responded, her legs closing around him before sitting up and wrapping her arms tightly around his back. She tightened her internal muscles against him returning the pleasure he had given. Their lovemaking changed instantly from gentle and tender to deep and intense, the heat created between them exciting their nerves further.

Time passed without meaning until Mich cried out involuntarily as Horatio laid her back on the bed, digging her nails into his back. The move caused him to plunge into her in reaction, no longer willing to wait, but wanting to consume the woman beneath him. His movements quickened, driving in as deeply as he could, Mich was already lost, her mind and body completely under his control, her breath fast and ragged. As he plunged in again, her body writhed violently, tightening against him. Horatio dropped down, growling as he fought to keep Mich still, pinning her to the bed with his own body.

Driving in deeply, he could hear Mich's voice, begging for release. He called on his body, already wet from exertion, for one final effort. Mich lifted instantly, crying out in relief and pleasure, shaking as he continued, seeking his own final moment.

Mich closed her arms around him, her fingertips tapping a rhythm against his sides, digging her fingers into his ribs as another wave of pleasure washed over her. This time Horatio joined her, panting as every last bit of strength he had left his body in a surge of power.

They awoke from their doze a short while later, Horatio's legs still lying across Mich's body, her head tucked into his neck. He chuckled as her eyes fluttered open and kissed her cheek softly.

"Did I just flake out?"

"We both did…"

Mich's eyes opened wide, "Wow, that has to be a first…"

Horatio laughed, "and not the last if I have anything to do with it."

Mich's face contorted with pain, not wanting to remind him that the future was anything but certain. Horatio knew what troubled her but said nothing. Rolling to his back he pulled her close until her head dropped onto his chest. Softly he began to stroke her arm until she fell asleep, before he allowed himself the same luxury.


	9. End Game

Horatio woke twice during the night, disturbed by Mich moving in her dreams. Each time he spoke to her softly, his voice calming her subconscious, returning her to sleep. However, when he awoke with the alarm at 6am, Mich was gone.

He knew that she would be, but wished that there hadn't been the need. Glancing around, he noted that her robe was lying on the floor, not over the back of the chair as was her normal habit. He gave a wry smile – that meant that she had woken later than planned. Stretching out, his hand caught something under Mich's pillow. Intrigued he pulled it out and found her cell phone – the alarm set for 4.30.

Chuckling, he dropped the phone to the bed as he sat up – at about 4.30 Mich had still been with him, returned to sleep as he had spoken to her quietly. The chuckle died away as the reality of the situation hit him. Mich had gone to start the last day of the hunt and he had his own part to play.

Several people had said that he should take the day off, but he had refused, surprised at first that Mich agreed with him. Her explanation simple – Today they had an opportunity to catch the Lynx, but if Horatio didn't turn up for work as their adversary expected, they tossed their hand to the winds of chance – and his life would be more in danger than ever before.

&&

Mich cursed silently. She had woken up later than she wanted and had little time to spare. Of the three buildings she needed to check out, two were clear and she had just entered the third. Carefully and quietly she moved up the stairs, thankful that the guard on duty at the entrance had not noticed her as she slid in through a side door.

Every few minutes she paused, listening for any sound that might announce her discovery, or give away the location of her prey. Reaching the top floor she paused, controlling her breath, willing it to return to normal and checked her watch.

She cursed again seeing it was nearly 7am – Horatio would be well on his way – quite possibly just a few blocks away from the PD which was less than 800 yards away. Overhead she heard the sound of a helicopter and smiled. Using the distraction to cover the noise, she opened the door onto the roof.

&&

As the sun came up the Lynx had stirred, its heat warming skin that had chilled during the night. Slowly she became aware of her surroundings and smiled. No-one had discovered her place of concealment. She slowly began to stretch each of her muscle groups in turn, going through exercises learnt a long time ago, beginning with her toes, moving up her legs, working the joints too, easing the stiffness out of them.

Reaching her back and shoulders, she grimaced in pain as her left shoulder protested at the slight movement she demanded. She concentrated a little more on the problem shoulder, relieved to feel the ache easing away. A soft touch with her fingertips confirmed that the stitches were holding and the bleeding had stopped.

She had taken a sip of water to quench her thirst, then another to rinse her mouth. A cereal bar was sufficient to stop the worst of the hunger gnawing at her stomach. As the light grew stronger she began to take sightings off various targets, working out where her best shot would be.

An hour passed and several people began to move in the street below her. Glancing at her watch she smiled, the red-haired Lieutenant would be here soon if his normal routine was anything to go by. The helicopter over her head was an annoyance, but she froze in her position, not wanting to be spotted.

Glancing down, she spotted the Hummer and readied her rifle. The M40A3 had served her well over the years and today would be no different.

&&

Horatio stepped out of the Hummer and paused, glancing around at the rooftops nearby. Something told him that Mich was out there – and so was the Lynx. He hesitated for a moment, suddenly wary of stepping out from behind the Hummer's protective bulk.

He looked up as a voice called his name and saw Eric walking toward him, a purposeful rhythm to his stride. Adjusting his sunglasses, Horatio took a deep breath and started to walk towards the younger man. _Game time._

&&

Mich walked stealthily across the roof top toward the side which had a clear view of the PD, as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun, she saw her worst nightmare confirmed. Wrapped in her Ghillie suit, the Lynx would have been invisible to all but the trained eye.

As she moved closer, she noticed the Lynx's finger tighten on the trigger and flicked one of her throwing stars at the assassin, afraid to call out in case she caused the Lynx to fire. She was a millisecond too late as a gunshot rang out.

The Lynx cried out in anger and rolled to her feet, the Ghillie suit falling from her body as she did so. Blind hatred crossed her face as she saw who had found her and she drew the rapier blade from her back and pulled a dagger from its place on her leg.

Her eyes widened as Mich drew her own blades and began to close the distance between them. She spat in her anger, "Wolf… I thought you had retired…"

"I am retired, have been for a couple of years."

The Lynx gave her a confused look, "It was you… The job done here a few years ago." Mich nodded, but said nothing, "Who sent you after me?"

"No-one."

"Then why…?"

"It's personal…" Mich said nothing more as she advanced, not knowing in that moment if Horatio was alive or dead.

**

The area outside the PD was total chaos, Eric knelt down next to Horatio's still form his gun drawn, searching for any sign of the assassin. Frank was soon next to him shouting into a radio, asking for the helicopter to scan the area.

A moment later it arrived and the news that Frank heard made his eyebrows rise. He pointed toward the roof of the building almost a thousand yards away. "Up there, but we'll need to be careful, our assassin is not alone."

Eric glanced at Frank, "Mich?"

The older man shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know, but the description I have is of two people fighting with swords on a rooftop."

"Swords!"

Frank pulled a face and shook his head, he had seen and heard so many strange things in his lifetime – especially here in Miami – that nothing really surprised him any more. Undoing the clip on his holster, he led the way to the 12 storey building.

&&

Mich's face was impassive. The Lynx's anger clear to see. The older woman had become complacent in her work, but she felt that Mich had been lucky, too lucky.

"Who helped you to find me? The Lieutenant? He knew all along didn't he…? I should have guessed."

Mich said nothing, knowing her adversary was trying to get information from her as they circled each other. Her opponent had tapped blades with her a couple of times, testing the strength of Mich's arm. She knew she had to be careful, the Lynx was well known in the 'secret' world for her skill with a blade.

Watching her carefully, Mich realised that the Lynx was wary and almost smiled to herself. Anna had left service and turned rogue before Mich had acquired her own set of blades and didn't really know how good the MI5 agent was. It was Mich's only advantage.

The rapier blade was about 30 cm longer than Mich's katana and designed for piercing the opponent as opposed to the katana's razor sharp cutting edge, the katana was also slightly heavier. It would mean that both of the former agents would be using different techniques.

Mich could attack and defend using both blades – either singly or in a double attack. The Lynx's rapier was a much quicker weapon, and complemented with a dagger for defence or a close quarter attack meant that the women were equally matched.

The Lynx moved first, lunging in with the point of the rapier aimed at Mich's face. The former MI5 agent moved quickly, bringing up her katana for defence but she could not prevent the tip of her opponent's blade from slicing across her cheekbone.

Grimacing in pain, Mich gritted her teeth, realising then she had to take the fight to the Lynx and go on the offensive. The advantage with her katana was the quickness of the blade to move between attack and defence, she had to get the Lynx to over extend.

She brought her blades up to a more vertical position, giving her greater flexibility of movement and once more began to circle. The Lynx chuckled.

"Out of practise Wolf…?"

"First blood does not mean you have won…" Mich watched her opponent closely, noticing that her left arm was hanging a little too low for correct defence and smiled. "How's your shoulder?"

The Lynx snarled, but did not respond to Mich's goading, recognising it for what it was. Taking a quick step forward she again went for her face, but this time Mich was ready, spinning away trailing a curving katana blade behind her.

When they once again faced each other, Mich was the one smiling, noticing that the Lynx was carrying a fresh cut on her left arm. Her opponent was now weakened on one side. However the rogue agent was no fool and changed her stance to a slightly more sideways approach.

For the next few minutes, Mich sought to exploit that weakness and although she managed to get in a couple more cuts – one of which crossed the Lynx's ribs, she did not escape unscathed. A slice across the back of her left hand was extremely painful and the blood was flowing freely.

Taking a deep breath, she discarded her left hand blade. It was a risk, but she knew that fighting with one blade she would be able to compensate for her weaker left hand. Working with one blade would make her stronger in the attack, but would also mean she had to get in closer.

There was also something else she had on her side – she had spotted the helicopter flying overhead and knew the PD would be on their way, all she had to do was hang on until they arrived. It was an option that part of her didn't want to take. The pain of her wounds had caused the anger within to rise and the Wolf was not prepared to take prisoners.

Gritting her teeth, she prepared to take the roof top duel to the next level.

**

The Lynx took a deep breath as Mich cast the blade to one side a little more concerned than earlier. She had thought that the longer rapier blade would give her a greater advantage, but it had not been so. From the cuts on Mich's hands and face she knew she had hit her target, but her opponent shrugged them off as if they were nothing.

Mich had been able to get close in on very few occasions, but each time she had caused damage, the cut across her ribs was particularly painful. Looking carefully at Mich's face, the rogue agent suddenly noticed that something was driving her on. For a moment she felt fear when she realised that it was as Mich had said… Personal.

The Lynx narrowed her eyes and gave a cruel smile, "So… You didn't say… What is so personal about this job?" Mich said nothing, flexing her wrist and pulling a face at the restriction in her movement. "I take it you know this Lieutenant…?"

"A little…"

The Lynx laughed, "So that's it… He asked you a personal favour… What a fool you are, by the end of the day, CIA will be all over Miami. This time they'll find you, because you trusted a cop."

Mich remained silent, trying to control the anger boiling under the surface. The next moment the Lynx attacked again, but the lunge lacked power. Instead of attacking back directly, Mich allowed time for her opponent to recover, wary that the powerless lunge my have been a ploy to drag her in closer.

The Lynx laughed again. "Having doubts about your friend – or his colleagues? I bet one of them is on the phone right now…"

Mich could hold back no longer and went on the offensive, putting together a combination of attacks that the rogue agent could barely protect herself from.

"Horatio and the team would never…"

The Lynx's eyes went wide open, "Horatio? You're on first name terms…?" She rolled away from the onslaught, gasping for breath. Looking at the fury in Mich's eyes she suddenly made the connection.

"He's helped you, to recover…" Her shoulders dropped, eyes meeting Mich's, understanding the situation. "You came after me because he's your partner, but I am only doing my job…"

"No… Your job was with CIA, working for us, but you changed sides, started working for the cartels… The highest bidder… You took out some of the best agents we had, they were irreplaceable."

The Lynx's voice became cold, "I felt it was about time I got decent pay for what I was doing."

Mich's voice turned to ice, "and now you're going to pay for what you have done…"

The Lynx prepared for an attack and saw the look change in her opponent's eyes. All her life she had faced dangerous opponents, but never had they been as single minded as the one she now faced.

Mich took a deep breath and straightened in her stance, within her, the Wolf rose to the surface, ready to finish the battle, giving strength to tired arms and legs, blocking out Mich's fears for Horatio's life, looking for blood.

The former MI5 agent moved so quickly, her opponent was nearly caught out, but she just managed to bring up her dagger in defence, though the power of the blow was enough to send her damaged arm screaming in pain.

The Lynx ducked and rolled desperately trying to get away from a blade that was spinning just inches away from her head – she knew that if Mich connected, she was dead. She brought up her blade, hoping it would prevent Mich from getting closer, but it was knocked aside without hesitation. The power of her opponent was enough to make her fall to the floor.

Before the Lynx could roll away, Mich placed her foot firmly on the wrist that held the rapier, forcing the rogue agent to release the weapon. In her anger she lifted her own sword high above her head, about to plunge it through the assassin's heart.

"Hold it! MDPD."

The Wolf inside snarled, ignoring the order issued by the large Texan as Frank burst through the door onto the roof. Taking a deep breath Mich began to transfer the power of her body into the sword when another voice cut through the still air.

"Don't do it…"

Mich hesitated, unsure if she could believe her ears. Once more her alter ego tried to regain control and once more the voice called to her.

"Don't do it sweetheart… Let it go."

As one of Frank's officers cuffed the Lynx, Mich's fingers released the blade, letting it fall harmlessly to the ground. Suddenly her knees became weak and she had the feeling she could no longer stand. Horatio caught her as she dropped pulling her close as he kneeled beside her, arms wrapped tightly around the sobbing woman.

"It's ok sweetheart, it's over…"

**

As Horatio glanced around, he noticed that there were several officers whispering quietly between themselves. Realising he needed some damage control he called Frank over.

"Frank, I'm gonna need some help with this."

The large Texan chuckled softly, "No need Horatio, I've already set it up for you… As far as the PD officers know, Mich is from a specialist group within Scotland Yard who were trained to track down and catch terrorists… After she retired she moved here, but offered her services to us on a consultancy basis."

Horatio gave a soft smile, a half truth was better than an outright lie – and more believable, "and how do you propose explaining the blades?"

Frank grinned, "She trained on an exchange with the Japanese police and became interested in Kendo while she was out in the far east. They think she's quite good." He paused for a moment, "You shouldn't worry Horatio, a lot of people like Mich and the way she tries to help out. Some of the officers have improved their shooting technique since she came along. They have too much respect for her to say anything."

Horatio fell silent, hoping that Frank was right.

"Mind you, I could be wrong… The fact that she could decapitate them with one swing of those blades could be the deciding factor…"

Horatio chuckled and turned his attention back to Mich who had turned ice-cold in his arms. Frank left, taking with him the rest of the PD officers, a quick glance over his shoulder as they did so to make sure H was alright.

Mich gave a huge sigh as the tears stopped and shuddered, leaning into Horatio, she began to get warmer, her breathing returning to normal. After a moment she looked up, her face contorted with pain. "She got me Horatio… The Wolf… She's back."

H pulled Mich closer, "I'm not surprised, I think you needed her today and that's how she came back in."

Gently he helped Mich to her feet and led the way back to the door, picking up Mich's blades as they left. The rest of the evidence was left on the roof for the team to go through. Eric was the first to meet them and passed on a short message.

"The Chief wants the two of you to disappear, before the TV crews turn up."

Horatio scowled, but said nothing, then realised that it meant he could stay with Mich, she certainly needed him more than the PD right now. Mich glanced up at the younger man. "The Lynx… Where is she?"

Eric looked troubled, "She's in the lock-up with both us and FBI watching her – I heard a rumour that CIA are sending someone down too – another reason why the Chief doesn't want you around."

Horatio caught the look on Mich's face and quickly led her away. "There's nothing you can do here sweetheart, let's go home…"

&&

Arriving at home, Mich gave Horatio a curious look. He had been silent all the way home and she found herself staring at him, wondering what had happened.

H chuckled, "Yes, she got me – but not badly."

Removing his jacket, Mich pulled a face when she saw where the blood from his arm had soaked through the sleeve. Carefully, she helped him remove his shirt not convinced that this was a scratch until she had seen it with her own eyes. Quietly she cleaned the superficial wound with water and then placed some antiseptic gauze over the shallow cut before adding a light bandage.

Horatio gritted his teeth and put up with her fussing, knowing it would help her to calm down. Several times in the car she had almost broken down, knowing that her alter ego was back – and worried about the news that CIA were on their way.

When she was done, he pulled her close, holding her tightly while Mich allowed the tears to run.

**

Slowly the tears died away and H thought it was about time they spoke.

"I don't think you need to worry about the Wolf Mich."

She stared at him with unblinking eyes, "How can you say that Horatio, I was ready to kill the Lynx on that roof top, even though Frank and his boys were there."

"But you didn't, that means that something stopped you."

Mich sighed, "You stopped me, when I heard your voice and I knew you were ok, I hesitated."

H smiled, "Exactly… If she was in control, you wouldn't have hesitated, regardless of who spoke to you." Mich shook her head and he continued talking slowly, "Think about it. You paused because you heard my voice – it helped you regain control. It means that she is not in charge Mich. Ok, I accept that she has regained some strength over you, but that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Mich stared at him in shock, "How can you say that?"

Horatio gave her a hug, "Because it's nice to know that someone has my back when I go in for something…"

Mich dropped her head for a moment, before looking back up, a soft smile on her face. "You think you can live with her though? She's given you hell over the past few months."

Horatio smiled, "Now I understand her, I don't think it's going to be a problem… Besides, she is kinda interesting to have around."

"You just have to find a new balance within yourself sweetheart, accept that she is here for good and I will help with the rest. Besides, I think she likes me…"

Softly Mich began to chuckle at H's teasing then flinched as he caught the back of her hand. Immediately H cursed when he saw the cut on the back of her hand. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Mich shrugged her shoulders, "I've had worse."

H shook his head and reached for the bowl that Mich had used and filled it with warm water before gently cleaning the wound. Glancing up, he chuckled at the look on Mich's face. "You made me sit and suffer your fussing, so now you can do the same…"

Done from the hand wound he checked the other scratches here and there, slightly worried about the scratch across her face. Mich sighed, but said nothing, secretly enjoying Horatio's attention. He chuckled and he led her out of the kitchen upstairs. "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted – how about we catch a few hours sleep?"

Mich needed no persuading and they were soon in bed, Mich feeling drowsy almost immediately, suddenly she sat up a thought coming to her mind. "What do I do about the CIA Horatio, what if they come looking for me?"

H pulled her back down, "The Chief said he'll take care of it if necessary…"

Mich was not convinced, but could not fight the tiredness and warmth creeping over her body, snuggling up to Horatio, she heard him sigh softly and the two of them fell asleep.

**

Frank folded his arms and quietly watched the woman who sat on the opposite side of the table. Her face betrayed nothing of her feelings, though the tightening at the corner of her eyes indicated to the tall Texan that she was angry.

He tried to conceal his satisfaction at having caught her. For good reason Horatio was being kept out of the loop on this one, and Frank was glad his colleague had been sent home. Had the red-haired Lieutenant been present, Frank had no doubts as to how this interview would be going right now.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Paula standing quietly in the corner of the room, her face showing interest, but nothing more. Outside, he could see several officers pretending to go about their business, but he knew that just about every PD officer had passed the interview room to get a good look at the 'spy' they had caught.

Frank had already been told by the Chief that his name would be on this case file, with Calleigh signing off on the documentation regarding evidence from the lab. He sighed softly, he had been waiting for the ballistics expert for almost an hour, but calmly accepted the delay.

The person sitting down was no ordinary criminal, the fact that she was still cuffed and also had ankle bracelets on testified to that. As did the five FBI agents that had just landed on his doorstep. Three were patrolling outside the building, one outside the door, the fifth would be joining him for the interrogation.

Impassively, the Lynx returned his gaze though inwardly she was seething. She was not surprised that she had been fully restrained, though was a little wary. Everything she knew about interrogation led her to believe that the detective would begin to question her straight away, but he had not done so.

In fact he had said nothing apart from speaking to the female cop behind her. Glancing out of the window into the PD she stiffened when she saw a familiar face and her resolve faltered. As always, she would say nothing, but the CIA agent that she had just seen caused her to pause in her thoughts.

Inside she began to smile, she had something that the Agency would dearly like to have… Information.

Frank noticed the flicker in her eyes and knew she had come to a decision. No-one in the PD expected the former assassin to talk, in fact, people had begun to take bets on how long she would stay silent.

"So, shall we begin?" Calleigh's bright voice broke his thoughts as she took the seat next to him. She was followed by FBI agent Sackheim, who took up a position in the opposite corner to Paula. The FBI had no jurisdiction here as such, but if the Miami murders could be linked to others across the country, they needed to know what was going on.

"I'm not talking to you. I want to talk to him…" The Lynx nodded towards the agent standing outside.

Calleigh gave the assassin the sweetest smile she could, "Well isn't that a shame, he doesn't want to talk to you. He just wants to make sure you get put away."

The Lynx glared back at her, "Then I am exercising my right to remain silent."

Calleigh looked back, a smug expression on her face, "Well, that's your choice. As for me, I'm glad… You remain silent, I have plenty to talk about for both of us."

She placed a picture on the desk, "This is Gregor Ivanovich, shot just over five months ago. He was killed by a .303 bullet, or if you prefer metric, a 7.62mm. Today we caught you on a roof top with a rifle specially modified for sniper work. Your prints were all over the weapon, and a test fire resulted in matching striations between the two bullets, and a bullet recovered from a second victim."

"Doesn't prove I killed him, could have been someone else using the gun."

Calleigh grinned, "The telescopic sight has been specially adapted for someone who is short sighted, enabling them to use the weapon without wearing glasses or contact lenses. Should I ask for an optician to come and see if your eyesight matches…?"

When the Lynx remained silent, she placed another photograph on the table. "Shall I continue?"

**

For almost two hours, Calleigh laid out the evidence on the table, working step by step. She outlined the assassins technique in using her blade, revealed that they had confirmed her identity when she'd started using the crossbow and darts and finally closed her evidence with the Sig sauer 9mm pistol which had been recovered from the Lynx's motel room.

The Lynx said nothing. She knew from what Calleigh had said, the team going after her had certainly done their homework. She was surprised at first that they had linked the murders from the autopsy reports and then mapped out her possible target areas, but as Calleigh continued, she realised that they would not have caught her without the Wolf's help. She sat in her chair and waited refusing to say anything further.

Agent Sackheim listened to Calleigh's presentation with interest. The blonde CSI had merely delivered the evidence against the assassin as she would in court, and he knew that on evidence alone, the Wolf would be convicted. However, something niggled at his conscious. How had the team found out where she was staying? When had they realised that they were working to find a paid assassin? Most troubling of all, how had they found out that the rogue agent would be on the rooftop this very day?

Catching Frank's eye, he nodded for the detective to join him for a moment and stepped outside. Frank could see the curious look on the agents face and quickly took him to an unobserved area to talk.

"Ok Frank, spill it. I know you can convict the Lynx on pure evidence, but from where I'm standing, there must have been a lot of footwork to get some of that evidence."

&&

Mich woke up slowly and turned over, noting that Horatio was already up. Glancing at the clock, she realised that she had slept for about four hours and chuckled to herself, she really had needed it. Dressing quickly in jeans and t-shirt, she made her way down stairs.

Horatio was talking to someone on the phone and waved to her pointing to the kitchen. Curious she moved there and saw that he had been preparing lunch. Smiling, she finished washing the salad and began preparing the chicken that he had taken out of the fridge.

A few moments later, she felt a pair of hands slide around her waist and smiled as his lips brushed the side of her neck. "Who was on the phone?"

"Frank. Apparently the interview with the Lynx went as you predicted."

"She said nothing?"

"Not a word, Calleigh was very happy about that and Sackheim says that just on the evidence alone the case will stand up in court, so we don't need to reveal your help."

Mich sighed with relief, but there was something in Horatio's tone that caught her attention, "but?"

"She's talking to someone from the Agency."

Mich turned to face him, her face pale. "Who?"

"Some agent by the name of Tomkins."

Mich closed her eyes and dropped her head, "He's not an agent Horatio, but Assistant Director of Operations. He's the last person I would have wanted to speak to the Lynx. She won't hesitate to give away my identity."

Horatio pulled her close, "We have to trust the team and the Chief sweetheart, I won't let them take you back."

Mich spoke through tears, "You may not have a choice Horatio."

"Then they'll have a fight on their hands."

**

Frank remained silent for a moment. Then remembered what Horatio had told him, Sackheim was a pain in the butt, but he also knew a little of Mich's background.

"We had a little help."

"From whom?"

"A retired Scotland Yard agent who has come across the Lynx's work in the past."

Sackheim's head snapped up and he looked at Frank carefully. "How did she get involved?"

Frank thought about his answer carefully. "Horatio occasionally brings her in to help us out on cases involving the cartels. She's also good at anti-terrorism, but fortunately we haven't needed her help in that area yet."

Sackheim nodded, "A specialist, independent, expert witness…"

Frank smiled, "That's it."

Sackheim shook his head, "one day Horatio is going to put his neck out a little too far… I hope someone has his back."

Frank said nothing but nodded, turning he saw Calleigh making her way towards them, a worried look on her face.

"The CIA agent has just gone in to talk to the Chief."

Frank traded looks with Sackheim, "Trouble?"

Calleigh looked from one man to the other. "The Lynx was talking about something, I was asked to leave and Paula was asked to wait outside the door and all the microphones have been turned off. I think she's trying to make a deal."

&&

General Tomkins looked at the angry woman in the lock up and smiled quietly to himself. Finally the Lynx had been caught; turning to the Chief he indicated that he had seen enough. "My superiors have agreed that she should be tried here in Miami and when sentenced, we'll take her to one of our courts for her crimes elsewhere."

The Chief nodded, "Military prison? From what you've told me, she could escape. You do know that she wants to bargain – says she has critical information for you."

Tomkins nodded, "She mentioned it." He gave a cold smile at the memory, the Lynx had told him that she had been caught by the Wolf and was willing to give her location in exchange for her life.

The Chief raised an eyebrow his tone of voice becoming guarded, "and?"

General Tomkins straightened his back, "She has nothing that we need Chief, except for her to pay her debt to society. We'll send someone for her when you're done, could you just keep me informed how things go?"

The Chief nodded and watched quietly as the General got into his car before sending a message to Horatio that Mich was in the clear. In the car Tomkins smiled, two years ago, he would have accepted the Lynx's information, but now…

Picking up the file on the seat next to him, he glanced at the details that had been collected over the last couple of weeks. The Wolf was definitely in Miami, he knew that for sure and judging by the atmosphere in the PD, he suspected that there were a couple of people here who knew exactly where she was.

Carefully, he sealed the file with an 'eyes only' tag and signed it so no one would look inside. On his return to CIA, it would be placed in his personal store and sit there for the next ten years. Unless the Wolf was desperately needed, he would let her enjoy her freedom – she had certainly earned it.

**

Mich stood staring out of the window at the sunset, waiting for Horatio to come home. She missed her father and grandmother a great deal, but a return to the UK was dangerous. She took a deep breath. The Wolf was never far away and it scared her to think that if she ever lost control, her alter ego would very easily take over. A tear slid down her face as she finally accepted that she would never be rid of her past self.

A pair of hands slid gently around her waist as Horatio came in from outside. Looking at her carefully he realised she'd been crying – again.

"What's wrong sweetheart?"

"She's never going away Horatio…"

Horatio sighed as he sat behind her, arms wrapped around her waist, when talking about her alter ego, Mich always used the third person, as if it would help to eliminate the past. "What made you think she would?"

"I don't know, I just hoped… I don't need her anymore…"

"Maybe you do – and she knows that. Maybe she won't leave until she's certain you'll be ok."

Mich stared at him, "How can you say that…She caused so much trouble between us… I nearly lost you because of her…"

"No… We had problems because you couldn't talk and I didn't understand… Now I do… and you are able to share things with me." Mich dropped her head. "Sweetheart, I know there is more in your past than you have told me – it will all come out slowly, I don't mind waiting."

Horatio took a deep breath, it was time he got Mich out of this mind set. "Can I ask you something?"

Mich turned, curious at his tone of voice. "Always, you know that. I no longer wish to hide things from you Horatio, it's just that sometimes…"

"I know, it's difficult… But my question is a little more personal."

Mich gave him a guarded look, "Ok…"

"Why do you want to be rid of her?"

Mich stared at him, not quite knowing how to answer. Horatio could see the confusion on her face at his question. "She makes me do things when I get angry. Things I have no control over. Things I shouldn't do."

Horatio smiled gently, "No she doesn't, not anymore, you proved that in your fight against the Lynx."

"She causes problems between us Horatio, I don't want that."

"She hasn't caused a problem between us since I left the hospital… That was months ago."

Mich began to flounder, trying to find more answers – but each time Horatio countered her negative position with a positive response. After a short time, Mich gave up, "What are you trying to say Horatio?"

Horatio stepped sideways, pulling Mich with him and turning her around to look in the mirror above the fireplace. "Take a good look Mich, what do you see?" Mich shook her head, completely confused by the direction he was taking.

"I see the Wolf…"

Mich's face registered the shock she was feeling.

"I see someone strong, independent and determined. I see someone who is not afraid to make tough choices and fight for what she believes is right. I see someone who will do anything to protect her family and those she loves… Isn't that the Wolf?"

Mich stared at her reflection, as Horatio's words sank in she turned to face him a tear sliding down her cheek, "but…"

"All you are seeing is the negative sweetheart, but the Wolf has her positive aspects too. It is those that helped you catch the Lynx… stopped her from killing me… Without the Wolf I would not be here…"

"Mich, you have to accept that you are the Wolf – you are the same person… It's just you have to try and control the negative." Gently he turned Mich around so she could look in the mirror again. "Do you see now? That you are her and she is you?"

Mich remained quiet for a moment, her eyes straying from her own reflection to Horatio's. Seeing the honesty on his face, the hope that he had got through to her. A slight smile started to appear on her face and she turned to face him, "You know what I see? A silver tongued red-head whose Irish blood is showing through… Your ancestors must have kissed the Blarney stone."

H chuckled, but Mich wasn't finished, "I see a man who will fight for a lost cause if he believes it is worth it. I see a man who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders… I see a man who believes he has the power to change things."

Mich lifted her hand and gently touched his cheek, "I see a man who has the strength to fight me when I'm being an ass and can turn me back onto the right road. I see a man who is willing to put himself in harm's way to protect me and my family – even when I'm dumb enough to say I don't need it. I see a man who is willing to help me to overcome my problems even when I say I don't want his help."

Her voice softened, "I see a man who I respect and trust more than anyone on this planet and who will support me when I need it most. I see a man who loves me for who I am and is not afraid of my negative aspects."

"I see the man I wish to be by my side, because he is not just my partner, or my lover, but because he is also my best friend and not afraid to tell me the truth. I see the man I love…"

Horatio pulled Mich close, holding her tightly. They still had a long way to go, but now he knew they would make it. It might take a while, but it would definitely be worth it.

Epilogue

Mich sat quietly on the log, looking out over the farm that had become her home. Six months and Christmas 2010 had passed since her fight against the Lynx and her former adversary had been convicted of multiple counts of murder in a Miami court.

As she had thought, the assassin had refused to speak, but the team had been diligent in their search for evidence and Horatio was able to put the case clearly in court. Mich had been afraid that she would be called to the stand, but the threat never materialised. The CIA had been represented by General Tomkins and the judge had been left with no doubt of the former agent's guilt.

The rogue agent had then been taken to the Naval Consolidated Brig in San Diego to serve out multiple life sentences. She had only tried to escape once, but the specialist team employed to watch over her had been vigilant and she had not managed to get more than 100 yards away before she was pinned down. It had yet to be decided if she would be subject to the death penalty for treason. One thing was sure, the assassin would never see freedom again.

Mich sighed. At first she had been afraid that the Lynx would also try and bargain for her freedom by telling CIA where she was, but no threat had materialised and she was starting to feel relieved. Her alter ego was also quiet, several new clients had arrived at the barn and at Horatio's suggestion, all would undergo a three month probationary period, after which they would be asked to stay or leave.

It had helped Mich a lot to know that she had a get-out clause from her contracts. Though occasionally, she did find her anger rising at some incident or other, she was always able to keep it under control, the Wolf staying mainly in the background.

Hearing a soft footstep she turned and raised an eyebrow at Horatio who chuckled, "I can never creep up on you can I?"

Mich gave a soft smile and leant back into him. "Did you give my blades to Ryan?"

Horatio nodded, "Yes, he promised to look after them for you."

Mich sighed, "I hope I'll never need them again."

H gave her a hug, "Same here, but somehow I get the feeling I'll still need your help from time to time."

Mich grinned, "I'll always be ready to help, you know that – I just hope I won't need my equipment to do it. Has Stetler stopped digging?"

Horatio chuckled, "The Chief overheard him a short time ago trying to get information out of some of the Patrol Officers and had a quiet word… Since then he's barely been seen out of his office."

Mich sighed, "Thank goodness, but I don't think that will last long. Someone really needs to nail that idiot."

He nodded his agreement and held something in front of her wanting to change the subject. Mich eyed the envelope curiously, "What's that?"

"I don't know, a courier dropped it off as I pulled up, why don't you have a look, its addressed to you…"

Opening the envelope slowly, Mich's eyes opened wider and wider as she read the letter inside. Horatio, reading quietly over her shoulder, kissed her cheek softly. "Congratulations sweetheart. Short listed for the British 2012 eventing team, an Olympic medal is definitely a prize to work for."

Mich turned to give him a hug, "I've got the only prize I need right here."

As Horatio returned the hug he smiled, in the last six months Mich had started to settle down accepting who she was. Though she was still a little volatile he accepted it easily, knowing that with the smooth occasionally came the rough. The result was a quieter Mich than the one he had met and he was glad she was part of his life.


End file.
